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ghirahimbo · 3 years ago

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"2. Suddenly pulling them in for a dance." - Ghiralink, perhaps? (Sorry incase that's not really your thing anymore! Feel free to pick another ship <3)

Yeah… yeah, that’s still my thing T-T lol, thanks for the prompt! This one was fun 😊

Post-canon, vague master/sword AU, ghiralink-ish

—

The spirit maiden danced with a grace befitting her divine origins, little though Ghirahim liked to admit it. Moving so lightly through the lively steps that her feet might have been floating, he could almost believe that she still bore Hylia's feathered wings on her back, tucked somewhere outside of physical sight. Link danced like a log in comparison—though on second appraisal, Ghirahim had to give him more credit than that. The boy wasn't stomping on Zelda’s toes, after all, unlike Fledge dancing nearby with poor Karane. Link's style consisted of accuracy without artistry, though with enough enthusiasm to almost make up for it. How odd that all his light-footedness seemed reserved for the more violent dance of swords, where he moved nimbly enough to keep even Ghirahim on his toes… a nod to his true calling, perhaps?

Privately savoring the notion, Ghirahim lounged against the wall of a newly erected building, only half noticing the wary looks he received as he watched the festivities unfold. These Skyloftians-turned-surface dwellers still feared him, despite the months he had served already as their hero's sword—a primal fear, perhaps, unless that fool Groose had secretly run off at the mouth. Link and Zelda had agreed from the start that certain aspects of Ghirahim’s past were best kept hidden, his previous master and role in Zelda’s disappearance highest among them. He had certainly not done anything overtly threatening to the residents of this tiny, budding village—and yet, they feared him.

The whole situation fell well beneath his notice, though he’d caught Link frowning over it more than once. Link was frowning at him now, Ghirahim realized, directing it over Zelda’s shoulder as they turned in sync, and he met it with a scornful expression of his own. What had Link expected him to do here tonight? Mingle?

The music finally paused as the lively song wound to its end, prompting the dancing couples to bow and switch partners (in Karane’s case with remarkable alacrity). Link leaned in towards Zelda, whispering something in her ear before vanishing into the milling throng, and Ghirahim half raised an eyebrow. Likely he'd just gone for more food, though Link might have finally tired of this tedious celebration. Compared to the more demonic gatherings Ghirahim knew, this less raucous human affair contained a disappointing (if expected) lack of bloodshed—though of course, those had often erupted haphazardly in the throes of battles won. Not like this one, which commemorated nothing more than the laboriously slow growth of food and its eventual harvest.

Another song started up, slower than the last but no less cheerful. Fledge had moved on to his next victim, some girl in a bandana and horrifically flared pants whose name Ghirahim had never bothered to learn. Zelda had produced a harp, wandering to join the musicians with plucked out harmonies that flowed from her fingers with ease, and Link…

Ghirahim frowned when Link’s bobbing green hat still had not emerged among the dancers. The food tables remained conspicuously absent of green, as well. If Link thought he could escape on his own while leaving Ghirahim here waiting—

A hand grabbed his arm, pulling him from his perch by the wall, and if he hadn’t had that hand memorized from the hundreds of times it had gripped his hilt, Ghirahim might have expressed his surprise in regrettably drastic fashion. Instead he let it pull him through the crowd until they reached their apparent destination, and it slid down his arm to grasp his own blackened hand, while another reached up to rest lightly on his shoulder.

Ghirahim blinked. Link smiled blandly up at him.

"Care to dance?" he asked, a bit too late for etiquette's sake considering that the dance had already started. Link's cheeks shone pink from the exertion of tromping around with Zelda, and his messy hair, mercifully absent the hat that always covered it, felt deceitful in how easily it had disguised his presence. Sweat clung to the base of those dark blonde locks—the reason for the hat's removal?

Ghirahim's legs moved automatically through the simple steps as he considered his young master, who made a brave attempt at leading with that unfortunate portion of his usual grace.

"Presumptive of you," he murmured, just loud enough to be heard over the din of laughter and music. "Any particular motive for such impertinence?"

Link had the nerve to look confused.

"You like to dance," he said, as if that was answer enough. Perhaps it was. Link wore his cheerful naiveté like a cloak sometimes, and even Ghirahim couldn't always sort out how much of it was real, and how much artifice. "Someone had to ask you?"

The hint of a question?

A number of potential reactions ran through Ghirahim's mind, considered and discarded in quick succession. He could extract himself easily enough, leaving Link clutching nothing but vanishing diamonds. He could also stand stubbornly still, refuse to dance, and let Link discover just how easily he could drag around a sword that didn't want to move. He could reject Link quietly—dramatically—at knifepoint, even—but…

A quick glance around revealed their audience. Though most had the sense not to stare openly, nearly every couple surrounding them shared the same nervous, almost scandalized smile, as if they feared the consequence of making their amusement too obvious. The spirit maiden in particular watched him closely, keeping a pointed eye on him over her harp though her lips shared the same bland smile as Link.

There would be no consequence, of course—Ghirahim wouldn't risk this precarious arrangement with Link simply to save face in front of some humans—yet neither could he let anyone think him scared off by something as innocuous as an invitation to dance. The steps themselves were straightforward enough, easily gleaned through his brief time spent observing… and as Link had pointed out, he did enjoy it.

His lips curved into a grin.

"I accept your request," Ghirahim said, and the moment Link started to relax, added, "but I will not be led."

Link's eyes barely had the chance to widen before Ghirahim spun him around, reversing the position of their hands.

Backpedaling to match Ghirahim's smooth advance, Link's startled face swiveled between watching Ghirahim and his own two feet in a desperate attempt to avoid being trampled. Lack of practice in this secondary role made him even less sure of his steps than before, though Ghirahim managed to steer them without incident through the greater pattern of dancing couples, humming in amusement as Link fought with surprise against an unexpected dip backwards.

"Come now, Link, have I ever allowed you to wield me with so little poise?" he hissed, the tip of his tongue whipping out mockingly as he raised Link back up. "If you favor only my sword with your attempts at finesse, I will begin to be jealous of myself."

Face red now from more than mere exertion, Link opened his mouth as if to protest—and closed it again, his lips forming a thin line of determination. An abrupt change swept over him, as drastic as if a switch had been pressed, and his stance shifted along with his center of gravity. Back straight with just a hint of fluidity, eyes blazing with the same defiance that had caught Ghirahim’s interest from the very start, Link danced, the superior reflexes he showed in battle at last made manifest.

Ghirahim's own eyes glowed. So Link had finally remembered that he held a sword.

"You've been holding out on me," he whispered, uncertain if Link could hear him or not. Experimentally, he directed Link with a light hint of pressure through a gliding spin, and found him as responsive an opponent as ever. "I should punish you for that."

Except that Link had held out on the spirit maiden first, and only for Ghirahim revealed his true potential. There was a pattern to that, he decided, glancing once more at Zelda and relishing in her look of surprise. Her chosen hero could never have defeated Demise without trying himself again and again on Ghirahim's sword first, and he hoped at times that his necessity haunted her.

The music picked up in pace and volume, the steps coming quick and intense. Link said nothing—he never did in the midst of battle, as silent as stone and just as unyielding—but perspiration broke out in beads along his face, trailing down the edge of his jaw. His hair swept and stuck in strange patterns across his forehead, disheveled but not wholly unappealing. Link might still have lacked a certain flair to his movements, too direct and to the point for Ghirahim's taste… but style could be taught. Idly, Ghirahim considered other dances he might teach this man if he was amenable, of perhaps less wholesome origins—dances whose quick, subtle movements pushed the bounds of even his own abilities, requiring strength in muscles Link likely didn't know existed. What was a dance without challenge, after all… without something a little more physical?

For now they moved through this tamer dance of Hylia's people, both withdrawing and rejoining as the pattern of steps demanded. The outer world fell away as their attention narrowed in on small details—the clash of eyes and brush of skin—blue on black and flushed tan on cool, steely gray—

And the music ended in a moment of silence that rang out unexpectedly. Laughing chatter burst to life, as abrupt as it was unwelcome, and the spell between them broke. Panting, looking slightly dazed, Link gave Ghirahim a bow that he returned with almost his usual smoothness, convincing himself that he had not been nearly so affected.

"Satisfied?" he asked softly, with the hint of a smirk—and was taken aback by the positively sly look Link gave him in response.

“Well…”

Brushing his hands together and placing them on his hips, Link gave a show of looking around meaningfully, and only then did Ghirahim realize how the tenor of the voices surrounding them had changed. Those glances sent his way felt more curious now than wary, and the bubble of instinctive fear surrounding him had all but vanished—his presence made human in their eyes at last by his part in the harvest dance.

"It's a start," Link decided, wiping sweat from his brow and settling his pointed green hat at a jaunty angle on his head. "I’m done dancing for the night, but you keep going if you want. You looked like you were having fun.”

With a wink, he turned to leave, and Ghirahim couldn't help but admire his exit. Link really was as conniving as any demon he’d ever met at times, though to completely different ends.

A nervous cough caught his attention, and he glanced down to see Fledge looking up at him anxiously. From the flurry of motion around them, it was time to switch partners for the next dance.

“U-um,” he managed to squeak out. His face, torn between pale white and deep red, had settled on both in splotches. “Everyone else is, so do you… I mean, are we supposed t-to…?”

Ghirahim snapped, leaving Fledge gaping at vanishing diamonds, and as he left caught the edges of Link's laughter. Conniving indeed, he thought, though at least in that as in so much else they were equally matched.

#writing prompts #ghiralink #ghirahim #my writing #I’ll probably post this to ao3 some time tonight

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amerrierworld · 4 years ago

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Babysitter (pt 10)

Pt 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Summary: You and Tony have a discussion as Hela and Loki sneak around.

Characters: Hela x fem!reader, Loki, Tony, Steve, Rhodey

Word Count: 1,813

Warnings: nothing? feels!

The New Avengers Facility was by far the most luxurious hideout you'd ever encountered. It was also incredibly large and perfect for aimless exploring.

The Avengers, though concerned for you once you arrived, quickly lost focus of you as they began flitting about their machines and computers to see what the hell was happening around the world.

You were given your own room, fully furnished with a well-stocked mini fridge. There was a camera situated outside by the door, so they’d know if you went in or out.

Normally you would’ve protested the house arrest, but you couldn’t be bothered suddenly. You were numb.

The Facility was massive. It varied from small cozy lounge areas to large open spaces for training, meetings, and all sorts of experimental engineering.

You were curled up in one of the tinier corners on a brown leather sofa. The rest of the place just seemed so pristine and neat and horrifically modern, no offense to Tony’s design tastes. There was a digital fireplace and heater, yet the 3D projection of the actual fire made it seem real. Only thing missing was the smell of burning wood.

“Thought you’d have run off by now,” grunted a voice behind you. Tony had come into the lounge. You kept looking at the fire.

“I have no where else to go, Tony,” you said bluntly. Over the past few days you’d been reading up more and more from the news, contacting people you hadn’t talked to in ages. There were a few distant friends and relatives who’d been taken by the Blip, and your heart ached at the ones you hadn’t been able to see one last time.

“Besides,” you sighed, breaking your gaze from the fire as Tony came to sit across from you, “none of you would have let me leave even if I really tried.”

He leaned back, stretching his body nonchalantly, and you noticed how weary and thin he actually looked. Dark circles under his eyes, and his fingers seemed to be twitching or twiddling consistently.

“What happened to you?” you muttered. “Why do you look like shit?”

“Oh, you know,” he said, waving his hand, “spent some merry time in space, that’s all. Wasn't planning on being stranded there, but here we are.”

You didn’t ask anything else. Instead you got up, walked to the near sink and pulled out a kettle from the cupboards to make yourself some tea.

“Okay, let me ask you a question,” Tony said in the silence, twisting in his seat to watch you, resting his head on the back of the sofa. “How on earth did you end up falling head over heels for a psycho?”

You snorted, grabbing a teabag and a mug, “you could ask Pepper the same thing.”

Tony clutched his chest in mock offence, “Ouch. Cold-hearted.”

Grinning, you steeped your tea, and turned around to look at Tony, “it’s not that simple, Stark.”

“No, I think it is,” he said.

“Well fine,” you sighed, slightly exasperated, “she was in my house with me alone, for days. At some point we ended up talking and actually getting to know each other. She opened up to me, and I to her and.. that was it.”

“And how do you know she wasn’t lying to get a way out?”

“She wasn’t. She’d never.”

“But how do you know? Wasn’t it you who always thought you had to give things time? She’s lived for thousands of years, Y/N. You’re a fruit-fly compared to her.”

“Why has this turned into an interrogation?” you snapped. He held up his hands,

“I’m not interrogating. Just trying to understand.”

“Why did Jane fall in love with Thor, huh? At the time he was a ridiculous, self-absorbed and mindless God who didn’t know how the hell this world worked. Why did Pepper fall in love with you? A narcissistic millionaire playboy who loves to play games and doesn’t take anything seriously?”

You paced the floor as your tea cooled down, fuming,

“Why the hell does anyone fall in love with anyone, huh? Who gets a fucking say in how they feel? And why do you guys have so little faith in me to trust what I feel? I’ve kept secrets for you, I’ve hidden you in my home, I’ve been a part of so much secrecy, and suddenly when I get a little heart-eyed at someone, you act as if I’ve been brainwashed.”

Tony didn’t say anything for a moment. When you met his eyes, they were a little wider than before, looking at you questioningly.

“In love, huh?”

You blinked.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Uh-huh, you did.”

“N-no, I didn’t, I said I-”

Your face became red, fumbling over your words.

Tony got up from his seat and clapped his hands as he sauntered over to the exit.

“Let’s go sparring, hm? Haven’t done that in a while,” he offered. You tried to cool your cheeks, forgetting about your tea steeping behind you.

“That’s cause I always lose,” you retorted. “You guys work out like your life depends on it. Which... it does.. I guess.”

“Yeah, but look at the state of me,” Tony spread out his arms and did a spin. “I’m feeling like trash. You’ll take me down no problem.”

You doubted that, but followed him anyways.

“Ah, fuck!” Hela swore as another branch tugged at her helmet.

“Will you shut up?” Loki hissed, crouching down and peeking through the trees. “God, you’re even more infuriating than Thor!”

Hela was breathing heavily, aching, grumpy.

“You really are a pain when you’re not around Y/N, aren’t you? You’re not going to massacre all the Avengers just because you’re peeved, right?”

“Be silent, filth,” she spat. Her brother only rolled his eyes. “What do you see?”

“I thought you wanted me to be silent.”

Hela whacked the back of his head and he grimaced,

“Alright, alright. Look yourself, it’ll be hard to get in undetected.”

Hela peered over his shoulder. He was right; there wasn’t a lot of hiding spaces or shadows. Well-lit with open spaces, the modern-style building looked quite distasteful to Hela. She pulled a face, both in annoyance and disgust,

Loki chuckled, “I’m glad you hate it too.”

“Shut up,” Hela hissed, before scurrying off further into the trees to explore the perimeter.

“Where are you- Hela!” Loki whispered hoarsely, hurrying after her.

She was looking for weak spots, places with no cameras, a spot to sneak in. But she also had no idea where you were, and with the vastness of the buildings she worried if she’d even find you on time.

“Hela,” Loki hissed. She shushed him again, eyes searching the upper floors.

“Hela!”

“What?”

“Look,” Loki pointed downwards. A little further in the distance outside, surrounded by well lit lights, stood you and that iron-armoured man, both with wooden sticks in your hands, the length of a short blade, thick enough to wrap your whole hand around it.

“Come on, let’s go back, before they see us,” Loki hissed, grabbing Hela’s shoulder. “At least we know she’s here.”

But Hela couldn’t move. You were wearing dark grey sweatpants and a zip-up hoodie, and sturdy boots. You looked tired, but were a vision to her. The man with you wasn’t wearing his armour, and suddenly looked a lot less threatening.

Loki watched, amazed, as his sister’s armour shimmered. The horns disappeared from her head and her cape faded until she was only in black, blending into the darkness.

She dared another step closer.

“Widen your stance,” the man said, waving the stick around. “Now try to attack.”

Hela watched you practice, your grip a bit clumsy and your stance a bit wobbly, but you were determined. She recalled the day she pulled a fork on you as a weapon, and winced a bit at the memory of the fearful, defenceless look in your eyes.

“Like that?” she heard you say, bending your knees and lowering your core.

“Good, but stay light on your feet, otherwise you can’t dodge.”

Your voice was like music to her ears, and hot tears prickled at her eyes. She missed you. So much.

“Stark, what the hell are you trying to do?” two more men had appeared. One blonde, and large, wearing a tight shirt and jeans. The other, dark, dressed in similar casual clothes.

“Gentlemen! Welcome to this exclusive defence lesson.”

“You’re by far the worst defence teacher out of all of us, Stark. Y/N won’t learn shit from you.”

“You wound me, Captain.”

Hela watched you shake hands with the other.

“Oh, Y/N, this is our friend Rhodey, also known as the War Machine.”

“Pleased to meet you, despite the.. unideal circumstances,” the newcomer shook your hand respectfully and flashed a smile. Hela flared with jealousy, and subconsciously bared her teeth.

“Easy,” Loki whispered.

The four of you paired up, you against Tony, but watching Captain’s instructions as he sparred with Rhodey.

You were not held under lock and key, and Hela worried a moment. Did you go willingly with them after all? Did you forget about her? Was it foolish to even attempt a rescue?

Your laugh rang into the night as Rhodey tackled a distracted Steve, and both dread and joy filled Hela’s heart.

“Okay, try again,” Tony encouraged you. You swung at him a few times as he blocked and dodged.

Then, you saw her in the darkness. A flash of green eyes, and Tony took your distraction to his advantage, swiping your leg from under you and you fell to the ground with a thud.

Hela nearly shot out of the tree line to protect you if Loki hadn’t stopped her. Then she heard a groan and chuckle coming from you,

“I told you I’d lose.”

“Don’t get distracted then, kiddo.” Tony held out his hand and hoisted you up. Hela growled at the camaraderie and slunk back in the shadows. “What were you looking at?”

He began to turn to follow your eyeline, and you paled,

“N-nothing! I- I was daydreaming.” He looked back at you.

“Not a good idea to daydream while fighting, Y/N,” Steve said.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m not used to this, you know?”

“It’s about time you were taught,” Tony clapped your shoulder.

“You want to learn anything from the War Machine himself?” Steve asked, nodding at Rhodey.

“Oh, I-I’d love to. But, maybe tomorrow?” you suggested, desperately trying to avoid looking at Hela in the distance. “I’m quite.. tired.”

The men seemed to agree and chatted as they headed back into the building. Tony swiped at Steve as they walked, who promptly tugged the sparring stick from him.

You hurriedly looked around into the darkness, wanting to see another glimpse, hoping you didn’t imagine it. But when you couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, you worried if you really had gone insane.

Steve called after you, and your heavy feet carried you back inside to settle for the rest of the night.

A/N: Life is fucking INSANE. only a few chapters left for this!! Don’t ask me about the timeline alterations because me trying to make sense of the canon and trying to make it all fit is making my brain explode!! I hope you like it, love you all!!! Stay safeee

tag list: @midnight-lestrange @cheerfullyvenomous @germansarechill @gaylorrds @amii-nyc @waitingfortheendtocome @novakitten0901 @marvels-writings @jadewestwriter @thisisanexistentialcrisis

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nctinfo · 5 years ago

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[TRANS] Doyoung, Jaehyun & Jungwoo’s interview with GQ Korea April 2020 issue!

Doyoung

You're wearing a hoodie with a bear on it and a denim jacket. It's the kind of style I normally like too. I enjoy wearing casual and everyday clothes that aren’t particularly in fashion.

What color stands out the most in your closet? sky blue, blue and cold tones are colors I have the most shirts in. Simple shirts that don't stick to your body.

What color shows your taste in music? Can you name a specific record? '추억은 사랑을 닮아 (Memories Resemble Love)', a song on Park Hyoshin's 5th album. It's a different kind of music from what NCT has shown. I think I'm able to do experimental music and music that stands out thanks to the members. I'm doing music I can't do by myself to my heart's content.

Even when you take a blind test you'd be able to guess it's Doyoung's voice because of the clear tone and aesthetics it has. I first started singing in middle school. Audition programs were very popular at the time, and it was the era where unique vocalists began to draw attention. Because I also wanted to make singing my job, I thought I had to find my own color without any bias.

Do you know your own strengths as a vocalist? My mom sometimes jokingly says "who gave birth to such a pretty voice?". I think the biggest advantage is that it has a tone that can blend well into the various genres like Hip-Hop, R&B, and EMD pop that NCT's music has.

When you were performing 'BOSS' a video clip of you raising the two octaves up to three octaves became a big topic. Are you the type that isn't afraid to sing high notes? To tell you the behind story, that range was a bit more comfortable. I prepared in advance to get myself comfortable and to be able to scream as much as I want. At that time, I wanted to be a strong team during live performances, so all the members spent a lot of time practicing like it was a real battle.

NCT 127's second full-length album is just three days away. During these times, what do the members talk about? "Now, now, let's start practicing the choreography for the 100 million views in a week music video", "Practice for the no.1 song on music shows choreography starts now." (laughs) We have a job where we have to prepare something for a long time and then show it all in a moment. If you think too much about the success that is possible, you have no choice but to be focused. These days, as time goes by, I try not to cling too much to that. It is more important to make an album that we can be satisfied with now.

The title song 'Kick It' has impressive dance moves that are inspired by oriental martial arts. We worked together with a martial arts director to shoot the music video. Each member had their own action scene, but everyone was spinning and flying as the camera started spinning. It was amazing. Everyone was so good to the point you would doubt we had just started learning it. I was a bit worried because I'm not the type to be confident in using my body. I was changing my clothes after we were done and while I was wondering how the shoot would end up, I saw that my hands were all cracked. I told myself I had worked hard.

You seem like a person who gives 200% in a moment of crisis. In the variety show <The Law of the Jungle> you jumped into the sea at night without a doubt. I'm the type to do something properly if you're gonna do something careless. I think I didn't want to make it an embarrassing moment. When I jumped into the sea, I was really afraid. Nevertheless, the reason I did it without fear was because I felt like I had to do something because I had come a long way.

Who is like a hero to Doyoung? You might think it's a boring answer, but it's the staff who help us and the fans. I released this recently. After we finished recording late a night I coincidentally had a look around the office. Even at that late hour, there were so many familiar faces. Many thoughts crossed my mind at that time.

Jaehyun

What do you think of the moment you wake up in the morning? 'It's already morning. I have to wash up.' An ordinary routine.

Do you like velvet? My attention was grasped by velvet training pants the moment I entered the studio earlier. I've been wearing velvet outfits on stage and I've been told that it matches me well. Since then, I started wearing it often with confidence.

You wear a lot of various clothes, like in today's photoshoot too, but what do you think shows your charms best? It feels good when I wear a suit. There was also this techwear look from the music video 'Let's Shut Up & Dance' when we worked with Jason Derulo. I like that too.

Have you thought about what you'd like to do if you could make a transformation? I have wanted to grow my hair long since last year. Growing it to the bottom of your ear and then tucking it behind, I thought it looked cool when I saw past pictures of Leonardo Dicaprio or of the hairstyles of Timothée Chalamet.

Do you have something like that? An aura you really want to have. There are people who look simple in ordinary life, but who look professional when they do their job. You can feel their skills. I want to be like that.

It feels just right looking at NCT's perfect stages. What's the highlight of the performance this time? Since debut, we’ve said NCT's style is 'NEO'. We try hard to reach that level every time. For the title song 'Kick It', the music, choreography, and outfits are very conceptual. There are also moves that are reminiscent of Bruce Lee's martial arts. I think our team's synergy definitely comes out when we have new and unique concepts.

This 2nd full album has 13 songs of various genres. Which song do you like most? The is an R&B ballad song titled 'White Night'. It started with the lyrics "it’s quietly getting darker". I was in charge of the first line, and I was focused on the details such as emotions, beat, and pitch. I recorded the "quietly" part several times. I have some attachments to it.

The soft bass tone seems to be Jaehyun's color of voice. I care a lot about tone and emotion, but interestingly, the tone of my voice has become lower than when I debuted. There's a part in me that wants to show myself more by signing than by dancing. From the start, I have received a lot of stress from singing, but as much as that, I also received a sense of fulfillment. I want to continue doing well.

What song would you recommend to someone who wants to hear Jaehyun's voice? 'Coming home', a song that was released last winter. It's a calm song centered on vocals that I sung with Taeil-hyung, Doyoung-hyung and Haechanie.

You said before you like your hands because they are pretty, right? Seeing them myself, I can agree. What do you want to achieve with those hands? I've been playing the piano for a long time, but I want to improve my skills. I feel at ease when I play the piano. And I'm the type to do anything well that requires my hands, the members sometimes call me 'golden hands'. I hope I can do well in anything.

Is there something you're the best at in the team? I'm confident in running. Since I was a kid, I loved sports so much that being an athlete was also a dream of mine. So when it comes to sports, I'm the.... Hahaha

I heard you watch movies when you want to relax. Is there anything you have been enjoying lately? I watched <Baby Driver> again yesterday. I've seen it three times, but the scenes and the music match perfectly, so I get excited every time I see it. I saw <Before Sunrise> several times too.

Do you also look up old stage videos or music videos? I sometimes do, but once I start watching the music videos starting from our debut song 'the 7th sense' to the latest, I will get hooked on it. When I just debuted I was still fresh but also a bit stiff. I also have memories of the Mickey Mouse 90th Anniversary Concert which was broadcasted by ABC in America. During the first tour of North America last year, I developed an aspiration for languages. When I was young, I lived in America for a while and learned some English, which has helped me and I saw how having [language] skills are a benefit.

This album starts with the song 'Elevator'. Where do you want to go up with NCT? As far as we can go.

Jungwoo

I've seen lots of pictures of Jungwoo wearing a fanny pack. Backpacks are big and uncomfortable so I only carry what I need in my fanny pack.

What does it usually carry? Contact lenses, eye drops, nail clipper, masks, bands, and ointments. Eye drops are an essential. My eyes become tired [/dry] when I wear lenses for a long time.

What is the style Jungwoo likes to wear? First of all, it should be comfortable. I usually wear training clothes and I'm often told that NormCore clothes look good on me, so I try to wear items that don't stand out too much. I think flashy things don't really suit me.

What? No matter how you look at it, you wore fancy and bold clothes today. It’s also curious to me. I like to challenge myself to wear different kinds of styles.

What is the image you try to have? I want to have a dreamy and bright atmosphere. I hope that when people see me they are fascinated and are curious about me.

What kind of person for you think is really cool? Justin Bieber. His style and music have his own unique color. Not only me, but all the members are fans too. I saw Justin Bieber's YouTube documentary yesterday. Besides the external stories, seeing him overcome the agony and growing pains of being an artist, made me like him even more.

What is something surprising about Jungwoo? That I'm purely a hard worker. I don't think I have many talents I was born with. I'm more like someone who will achieve results as much as I worked for it. So I put a lot of effort into anything I want to do.

Is anything possible if you just try hard? Looking at NCT's stages, I think there's more to it than just effort. I often look at others to find out how they do it. When we had a stage on the famous American talk show <Jimmy Kimel Live>, I was able to see and analyze the other stages that were on the program. The ways to walk with the camera and how it appears on the screen. So like that, I learn a lot.

Jungwoo has a very clean and impressive voice, but we heard you passed the audition by dancing. This is also kinda surprising [a twist]. When I was in elementary school, I watched the music shows and became interesting in dancing. But later, when I was recording, the music director told me I had a fascinating charm to my voice since he couldn't really tell if I was singing in falsetto or not. After hearing that, I decided to I should develop my voice into a good one and use it as an advantage to show myself.

What is your favorite track in this album? There is this song called 'Pandora's Box' and when I first heard the guide version, the lyrics 'remember this moment, us, our moment' really stood out to me. I imagined how it would be like if we would sing this with the fans at a concert, and I thought it would really turn out great.

When was the most miraculous moment in your life? When I joined NCT. It felt like a dream. I cried a lot when I came down after finishing my debut stage on the music show. I was happy but also felt regret. I remember the members encouraging me by saying "it's okay, you did well".

What do you think is your role in the team? No matter how, I seem to be the mood maker. I make a lot of jokes. If there would be 100 people, all 100 would be laughing. My humor level seems to match well with Doyoung-hyung especially.

The other members say Jungwoo hasn't shown his full potential yet, they say you have a lot of various sides. I think it can also mean that it's still unclear what I will do next. I often hear that I'm pretty unique. Could you say I'm 8D? (laughs) I too, don't know fully yet who I am.

Do you like that personality? There's only one my in this world. I want the person named Jungwoo to become a new genre. New, unique. In order to do that, I have to accept what I have and work hard to show the charms of it.

Translation: Esmee @ FY! NCT (NCTINFO) | Source: Grazia Scan — Do not repost or take out without our permission!

#NCT #NCT 127 #jungwoo #jaehyun #doyoung #t:interview #t:trans #GQ #GQ: April 2020

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eleanorbloom · 4 years ago

Text

Relighting the spark. Part 03.

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x F!MC (Tesse Sterling)

Word Count: 3.4k

Warning: Bit of angst and cursing.

A/N: Hello darlings! A few weeks ago Chahnaz invited me to do a collaborative fic with her and Georgia, and after weeks working on it, I’m finally posting it! It’s cheeeeesy, a little self-indulgent amd maybe experimental, but I think I made justice to the previous work the girls did.

I hope you like it!

Part One was written by @brycelahelalover

Part Two was written by @lahamseiroshoe

Taglist: @utterlyinevitable @binny1985 @shanzay44 @choicesficwriterscreations @laiba-the-person @starrystarrytrouble @lahellacute @lucy-268 @aylamreads @cinnamonspongecake @romewritingshop

_____________

Tesse sat on the first bench she found in the locker room, feeling her stomach quivering. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for that something that had hoped—dreamed— for years.

But there was only a way to find out.

She sauntered towards her locker, changed her scrubs into a pair of blue jeans, a peach shirt, and a caramel jacket on top. Her hands were trembling while she was zipping it up. Then, she exited to the main entry and waited a few feet away from the doors.

A couple of minutes after, she heard a "hey” behind her back.

“Hey”—Tesse answered, her voice barely a whisper.

“So, did you think about my plan?”

After the kiss, she felt confused and slightly regretful for being so weak, because there were so many things both had to say. And as if ten years hadn’t passed, he could read her like a book. He proposed her to go to his place to have a proper talk without noises and intromissions.

“Yeah, and I accept.”

“Your favorite dish is still luau stew?”

Tesse froze. The question had been thrown so out of the blue, and with such specific information that it took her a while to process it.

How he could remember that? she thought.

“Y… you still remember?”

“Yeah, practically the 90% of the time it reminds me of you, if it’s not always, but I don't want to brag.”

He gave her a charming smile that made Tesse melt more than she already was.

“Wow. I don’t know what to say.”

“Yes? No? I actually hate it now?”

“Oh, that.”—Her cheeks flushed—"Yes, it is still my favorite”

“Cool, because near my place there is a Hawaiian restaurant I wanna try.”

He pulled out his phone and after a few touches he took it to his ear

“Goodnight, I would like two luau stew… Takeout… Great. By any chance do you have strawberry mochi? Really? Cool. Yes, two, please. Bryce Lahela. Thank you. I’ll be there in twenty, good night.”

He pocketed his phone into the inner layer of his jacket.

“All settled. I hope you don’t mind I imposed my dinner election.”

“I don’t. I actually had been wondering if there were any good places here.”

“Yeah, me too. When I arrived last week, I tried one downtown. It was great but could’ve been better. Maybe I just got used to my favorite at Stanford.”

They took the train and chatted about their day, trying to avoid more uncomfortable topics. It still felt awkward. Tesse was having a hard time trying to accept that after years of wishing, Bryce was by his side, and would probably be back as she always dreamed.

“And how’s your family?”

“Fine, I think so. My dad’s applying for parole for good behavior, I think. Keiki is 15. But I haven’t been there since… a lot.”

“How much?”

Tesse saw how the tension invaded his whole body, as he started to scratch the back of his head.

“I don’t know, I…I’ve been busy with med school.”

“You haven’t seen her in all this time?”

He didn’t reply, but it wasn’t necessary.

“Bryce! She’s your sister, you can’t abandon her like that.”

His cheeks blushed and she could see the guilt in his eyes.

“This is our stop”—He announced, taking a few steps towards the door. Once the train stopped, they got off the train.

“Why you haven’t gone with your family? Your sister must be needing you, Bryce.”

“I’ll never forget my parents for what they did. They destroyed my life, Tesse. My life at school, even at college was a nightmare because of what they did. Hell, I left you because I wanted to protect you from that. I just can’t see them.”

“But Keiki has nothing to do with that, she was a kid, she is a teenager now, and must be living the same hell you lived, and you’re the only one who can understand her”

Bryce swallowed hard, his eyes sparkling. The thought of her suffering just like he did... It was too much for him.

“I’m sorry, I have no right to talk to you like that”

“That’s not true. You are the only one who has the right because you know how much she means to me, it’s just… I know what I’ve been doing it’s awfully shitty, but it’s different when somebody else says it.”

Tesse took his hand and caressed the back softly.

“I’m sorry, I know this is difficult for you.”

Bryce nodded and then they walked in silence, each one with their own demons, regrets, and questions.

After a few minutes, they got into the restaurant.

“Good night, takeout for two, please. Name’s Bryce Lahela”—He informed as they both reached the dispatch counter.

“Two Luau and mochi?”

“Correct”

The man behind the counter handed the bag to Tesse while Bryce took out his credit card. After a few seconds, the man handed him the receipt and Bryce folded it to put it in his wallet.

“Thank you, good night.”—Both Tesse and Bryce said before going back to the entry.

After a short walk, they entered the building. The façade showed a modern building, but it could be said it had been built about ten years ago.

“Heavens, nice place”—She said looking around the living room, decorated with a modern and sleek style, but it wasn't ostentatious.

“Make yourself comfortable” —He invited, taking off his jacket and shoes. Tesse did the same.

Then they sat in the table and started eating, sharing memories of the countless times they had luau stew for lunch at school, at his place, at hers… at their spot, even.

“Mmmhh this is so great!! It’s almost as good as the stew my tutu cooks”—She says, with satisfaction both in her words and her face. (A/N: Tutu: Grandma in Hawaiian)

“Yeah, it’s delicious. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars, anyway.”

After a few seconds, Tesse stared at him, smiling brightly, forcing herself to forget all the pain, all the rage she had feeling for a few hours, and just enjoy the moment with him, before she would be back to her senses.

“God. I missed you so much. I can’t believe fate put us together.”

Bryce slid his hand in the table to reach hers.

“Me neither. I wish it would have been sooner, though”—He let out a breath, melancholy in his eyes.

“Maybe, but you should know everything happens at the right time, Bryce.—She assured, now her taking his hand.—Maybe before this moment, we wouldn’t have been as ready or healed as now. If we really are, of course. We have a lot to talk about yet.

“Yeah.”—He looked at her, thoughtfully and then continued—“What I said earlier is true. I regret all the pain I caused, Tesse. I regret pushing you away because I knew you wanted to be there for me, but I thought I was protecting you.”

Tesse just listened to him quietly, assimilating all the words and gestures that would make her decide if he was really sorry and he was being honest and sincere about what had happened all these years.

“I realized too late that you were stronger than I thought. You were stronger than me even. I just ended up hurting you anyway, and maybe worse than what I was trying to protect you from.”

“Yes, because I never cared what people said, Bryce. I knew you, I knew you had nothing to do with what your father had done, and that was enough for me. People would always talk, but I only cared about you.”

“I know. Tesse, I’m so, so, sorry. There’s no day that I didn’t think about you and the pain I caused on you.”—He shook his head—"I… I tried to move on, but your memory always haunted me. No one was enough compared to what you gave me and how you made me feel.”

“It… It happened to me too. I never got interested in anyone after you. When you left it was like something inside me turned off. Like a bulb light had broken inside me. Some guys gave me a sparkle, a twinkle, but nothing more than that. Nothing like the light, the fire I felt with you. And… that I felt when I kissed you this afternoon.”

“Tesse...” — He whispered incredulous.

“Bryce, I’ve never wanted anything more than to be with you again. Seeing you here makes me forget everything that happened, but I know that someday, even in an hour or tomorrow, it will hit me again, and I don’t wanna hold grudges on you, feel resentment out of the blue, and ruin what we could have.”

“I know. I know this isn’t gonna be easy… But I’m willing to do whatever it takes to have you back, Tesse. Whatever it takes.”

“I know this sounds kind of… torturing, but would you tell me how has been these years for you? The good, the bad…”

Bryce was nervous, but he had promised Tesse that he would do anything to have her back, and if she wanted him to tell her how the last ten years have been, he would give her that.

He started telling her that after he moved to California, he never returned home, and hadn’t been in touch with his parents for all the hell the put him through but he usually called Keiki for her birthday, but not more than that.

Bryce also told her that most people he met at Stanford knew he was the son of a criminal and had a hard time trying to not let it get under his skin. He accepted that everything would have been easier if he had had her, she would have found the exact words to make him feel better, and her presence would have been enough to ease his pain, but he had to live with his decision, his mistake.

He told her about some girls he met and dated, but even the coolest and greatest girls never made him feel like it was supposed he had to feel. It never felt the same as with Tesse. He felt empty all those years, always feeling something was missing but he couldn’t be sure if it was her who was missing or if it was just the guilt haunting him even after all these years.

The moment he saw her he knew it has always been her who he wanted.

Once Bryce told him about his last two years, they served the dessert on the couch, talking more calmly about what had happened in the last two days, how shocked both were, and how incredibly awkward is life giving second chances.

“Do you want some more?”—Tesse said playfully, with a strawberry mocchi on her hand, and bringing it to his mouth. He took a bite looking at her invitingly. His lips brushed her fingers and Tesse bite her lips at the feeling. That was the impulse he needed to took her by the waist and pulling her into his mouth and kiss her. Both had been wanting it since they met outside Edenbrook.

It was like the mochi had turned on the sweet mode because, after a few minutes, they started sharing sweet looks, soft smiles, and somehow they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

“You have no idea how much I missed you”—He whispers in her ear, while Tesse had her arms locked around his torso, and Bryce was just stroking her hair, feeling the silkiness of her locks.

And Tesse was feeling so peaceful, she couldn’t ask for a better place to be at that moment.

Then they would stare at each other in silence, observing eyes, noses, freckles, lips, chins, as if trying to remember how they were and if all this was true.

But then, they realized that it wasn’t only about that. They were knowing each other again. As adults, not as the teenagers they were in Maui. Because their faces, bodies, minds and maybe hearts weren’t the same they knew once.

As Tesse changed through the years, so did he. Bryce wasn’t the boy with a timid smile and long hair, who wore leather jackets and rode a motorcycle.

He was a man with a styled haircut and highlights in his locks, giving his tanned skin an irresistible shine. And he was dressing like someone who never was a rebel in his youth. And his eyes, his dreamy eyes just showed all the pain and loneliness he had lived in all these years.

Important parts of their characters had been changed too. Some defined, others accentuated and some others were just part of their grown-up, but not part of them anymore. Bryce had confidence she never had seen in him. The hell he lived at college forced him to show the world how worthy he was, that no one could undermine him for what his parents had done. But knowing him as she knew him back in school, she new that sensitive Bryce was still there, and all the flirty, self-assured looks Bryce shows to the world was a shield to his scars.

The Bryce that didn’t talk about his feelings was still there, she could tell, even he had opened to her just know. She had mastered the art of making him open more than ten years ago. She had the key, and even after all these years, the lock was the same.

They had changed, but they were the same in the essence of their cores.

The same old innocence in her heart that made her stomach flutter every time he looked at her, every time she felt his lips on hers. The same sweetness in his heart, that made him look at her like she was heaven, and show her with gestures and caresses that she still was the one.

She still could make him feel an adrenaline rush every time she kissed him, and he still could steal the same silly laughs from her with his shenanigans.

They still had their own small world of tender looks, of amused smirks, of winks and funny faces where time hasn’t passed, and they would laugh just like when they were foolish teenagers in love.

Ten years had passed, but their hearts had saved all those treasured memories to keep them alive until they would meet again, when their hearts and minds would be open and understanding enough to accept each other back in their lives, despite the mistakes and the pain. Because it was true, no one ever hurt her as Bryce did, but no one could make her feel like him neither. Even if she tried to believe otherwise, she knew no one could love her as he did. And if he was willing to make her happy and never let her go again, all those years of suffering would worth it.

“How is possible to feel the same way as before, even if we are not the same people?” —She asked, lost in his amber eyes.

“Maybe our love never changed. Maybe love it’s like home. You could change, you could grow up, but every time you go there, it feels the same and it feels right.”

“But you… you never came back home, how could you know how that feels?”

“Because you are my home, Tesse. When I kissed you this afternoon I knew. I knew why I felt so hollow and never could do anything to change it.”

She felt a light getting warmer inside her, her core enlightened. But it wasn’t a twinkle like she felt before with other guys. She had her own floodlight inside her.

And that warmth is what lulled them in that moment. They stared at each other what it seemed an eternity, observing their features, their sparkling eyes, their lips until they met again in a sweet and comfortable kiss. One of many.

She woke up in the darkness, startled. Tesse didn’t know where she was. After a few moments, she remembered her last few conscious moments cuddled with Bryce on the couch, resting over his lap while he was stroking her hair gently and they were just chatting about everything and nothing, just like old times.

Was it true or was it a dream? She felt panic that it all had been a dream, and the reality was a nightmare where Bryce wasn’t back in her life.

Suddenly, all her fears were gone as she heard a deep breath a few inches from her ear and his arms were still secured around her.

After a few moments of hesitation, she tried to move slowly to get up from the couch.

“What are you doing, Tesse?”

“I… I should get home”

“You don’t have to go. Stay.”—He said in a raspy voice.

She felt stiff. For a moment she felt nervous that Bryce would want to try things she wasn’t ready to try yet. They were adults now. But if Bryce knew her like she used to, he would never push her to do something she didn’t want. Besides, there was nothing bad about wanting to sleep together. They did it countless times in their adolescence.

“Okay”—She finally muttered.

“Let’s get to the bed.”

Bryce guided her to his bedroom with a king-size bed and two nightstands; a desk full of medical books and two doors, the first one to a walk-in closet and the second one to the bathroom. The room was clean just as she thought it would.

“I’m gonna use the bathroom”—She said, sautering towards the second door, holding her purse on her hand.

She looked at the mirror while she was brushing her teeth, trying to comprehend all that had happened in the last hours. Bryce Lahela was back in her life. She could have him if she wanted, but it wasn’t a decision she could make now or in a few days, it would take weeks and even months before she would feel ready and free of grudges and pain to finally make a choice. And for that, she had to be brave, take a step forward and try. Maybe things in her life would finally be happy for her.

There was only one way to know.

By the time Tesse was back, Bryce was with shirt and bottoms on and had already opened the bed and turned off the lights, just a tenuous light over the nightstand was on.

“I thought you would want to change into something more comfy” — He said pointing out a par of bottoms and a shirt.

“Thank you”—She said, and then he went to the bathroom.

Tesse changed her clothes into the white shirt and a red bottoms. It looked bigger on her, just like ten years ago, or maybe bigger. Bryce was a bit taller and very muscled compared to what he used to be, so he probably was using one or two sizes bigger.

Then she just laid down in bed and waited anxiously for Bryce to come back to the room.

“Are you comfortable or do you need another pillow?” —He asked, standing in front of her.

“I’m okay, but I’ll be better when you’re here with me.”—Just that small gesture made all her anxiety go. He was the same Bryce Lahela she had fallen in love ten ywars ago. How that could be possible?

He chuckled, amused.

“You’re so cute, Tesse, you know that?”—He said, laying by her side and taking her in his arms.

“I think so, you used to tell me that a lot.”

“And I don’t plan it to be different now.”

“Aww”—She glanced up at him and brushed her lips into his. Then he locked his eyes into hers, smiling tenderly.

“I just want to hold you as much as possible, so I can believe this is real.”

“I hope all this is real. Would be a real nightmare if I wake up one day and you’re not here, and you’re not sorry and you never really cared after you left.”

“How could I not be sorry? How could I not care about you, Tesse?”

“You wouldn’t be the boy I loved. The man I love.”

“Precisely. I’m just an idiot who pulled you away, but I always cared.”

He rested his lips on her temple.

“Bryce?”

“Yeah?”

“I really hope this works.”

“Me too, Tesse.”

And they would make their best to do so.

_____

#bryce lahela #bryce lahela x mc #bryce x mc #bryce x casey #bryce #open heart #open heart choices #playchoices #choices #oh choices #choices stories you play #choices fanfiction #Oh fanfic #fanfic #open heart fanfiction

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cutietobio · 5 years ago

Note

scenarios w iwaizumi, lev and yaku with an s/o who usually dresses super conservative and comfort>style but wants to try stepping out of her comfort zone so on one of their dates she shows up more put together and wearing clothes that show a bit more skin? (like off the shoulder tops, shorts, skirts w/o leggings etc) n the boys get a little flustered or excited?? ;);) thank u! im trying to step out kf my comfort zone too so i felt like this would b cute nd make me more motivated not to give up!!

mmm yessss good stuff. this is the fluff I’m after. I hope you enjoy these, anon!! and I really really hope they motivate you because you’re beautiful and deserve to feel comfortable!! i love how these scenarios gradually increase in word amount as I go along I’m so sorry for the inconsistency oops.

IWAIZUMI

For your movie date with Iwaizumi, you were feeling a bit experimental with your choices in clothing. Instead of your usual conservative style, you wore a shorter skirt with your legs fully exposed, choosing not to wear leggings like you usually did. The rest of your outfit went along together nicely, but you felt a little self-conscious whilst overlooking yourself in the mirror. You have never taken such a risky clothing choice before, one gust of wind and your legs wouldn’t be the only thing on display. Luckily, the evening weather was quite calm.

Your heart pounded loudly in your chest as you approached the movie theatre, eyes scanning the many bodies of people in search of your boyfriend. You spotted him leaning against the wall, casually watching the crowd walk by, your mouth dried at the sight of him. His style was one you always loved, a mixture between edgy and casual. He looked good, and you could only hope he thought the same about you.

“Hey, Hajime-kun!” you greet with a friendly smile, opting to stand a few feet away from him due to nerves. Your voice caught his attention immediately and he opened his mouth to ask why you were standing all the way over there until his eyes fell on your outfit and his words died off in his throat, his eyes widening at your exposed skin.

“Babe?” you question, your smile fading ever-so-slightly. You weren’t sure whether his speechlessness was meant to excite or worry you.

“You…You look nice,” Iwaizumi muttered out, coughing into his fist as he turned to look to the side, avoiding eye contact with you. The tips of his ears were tinged red and his cheeks were equally as flushed. Catching this, your smile widened.

“Thank you, but I think you look better.” He scoffed at your words and held an arm out for you, which you hooked your own arm around without a moment to spare.

“Whatever, believe that. Let’s get inside,” you nodded in reply, enjoying his blushing state. Both of you shuffled inside, buying your tickets and snacks before heading into the movie.

After your date, Iwaizumi took you home. Both of you stood outside your house, gazing at each other, neither wanting to leave.

“You looked great tonight. I think you should…dress like this more often,” Iwaizumi trailed off shyly, annoyed by how fast his heart was beating just by standing so close to you.

“Really? I was actually worried you wouldn’t like it. I’ve never dressed outside my comfort zone like this before but… you make me feel beautiful, so maybe I will,” you offer him a delicate smile, blushing hard at your admittance.

“I make you feel beautiful?” Iwaizumi questioned in a whisper, and you nodded in reply. He appeared to be taken aback by your words.

“Yes, you do.” There was a bit of lingering silence before Iwaizumi took a step closer to you, his hand grasping your own gently.

“I’ll make sure you always feel that way.”

LEV

Your boyfriend always took you out on fun dates that mainly consisted of you going outside, you thought it would be time to dress more appropriately for the occasion of the summer festival that he wanted to take you to. The afternoon sun would be hot, added with the running around he would likely make you do, you wanted to expose more skin to keep you cool. That and you also wanted to push yourself to dress outside of your comfort zone and experiment with new styles.

You wore a cropped t-shirt, with a denim overalls/denim shorts and a suiting pair of shoes. Having never worn something so exposing before, you were obviously a bit self-conscious and found yourself continuously tugging at the hem of your shirt to cover up your skin. Due to its short cut, the material merely snapped back in place. It was too late to bail and wear something else as you were already a few minutes late for your date, so you swallowed up your doubt and headed out.

Lev was standing at the festival’s colourful entrance, actively searching the heads of people in hopes of spotting you. You did text him saying you were running a bit late, but he had faith you would be there any second now. Once he saw you, you were given no time to prepare and anticipate his reaction to your outfit, as he immediately manoeuvered through the crowd and brought you close to him with a tight hug.

“Found you!” he laughed out joyously with closed eyes, which popped wide open as he felt the silky texture of your skin underneath his hands. Pulling back, he stared down at you in curiosity. You gulped, wishing the earth would swallow you up as he took in your appearance.

“Waah! You look so beautiful!” Lev cried out, bringing you into another hug which you slowly returned whilst processing his words. He…liked it? “You always look beautiful, but these clothes on you look great!” He pulled away again, examining you with gleaming eyes of adoration.

“Thanks, I was nervous that you might not like it…” you admit sheepishly.

“Me?! How could I dislike anything about you?!” he whined out about your assumption, “you worry too much, princess! Let’s go have some fun!” Before you could blink, Lev grabbed his much larger hand in your own, lacing his fingers with yours as he guided you safely through the crowd. Despite his exciting demeanour, he always handled you with such care and love it made your heart swell.

Throughout the day, Lev could barely shut up about how great you looked. He would constantly remind you how good you looked with your outfit and point out things he liked about it. You ended your day with one last ride on the Ferris wheel, and whilst furthest from the top, he turned to look at you.

“I’m glad you’re feeling more comfortable!” his words touched your heart directly, and you hugged him, catching him off guard slightly but he returned the hug a second later.

“I should thank you for that, you’ve made me feel more open to trying new things. Like…getting on a Ferris wheel,” you giggle, breaking from the hug to peer down the edge of the cart. You paled at how high up you were, but Lev tugged you back before you could worry about the height more.

“I’ll always be here to support you, princess!” he said with his usual happy tone, nuzzling his cheek against the top of your head.

YAKU

Your boyfriend had always enjoyed taking you on traditional and romantic dates, this time, he had really outdone himself, wanting to take you to a pretty fancy restaurant where even a dress code was required. You took this opportunity to exit your comfort zone when it came to your style choices and decided to go shopping for a dress. It hugged your figure perfectly, exposing your collarbone and also dipping to your lower back. You had never worn something like it before and scrutinized it intently in the mirror.

Despite the unease you felt wearing it, you forced yourself to ignore those feelings and finished dressing with a pair of heels/flats and minimal accessories since the dress itself was quite eye-catching. You were dropped off at the restaurant and entered in, hoping your nervousness didn’t display across your features.

A figure approached you from your peripheral vision and you turned to find Yaku looking handsome in a crisp black suit. Your heartbeat wildly against your chest, feeling much more nervous than before. He looked so good, you could practically be moved to tears. At that moment, you forgot all about the insecurity you felt wearing your uncharacteristic dress and smiled at him warmly.

“(Name), wow…” he stated breathlessly, taking in the sight of you. He felt his cheeks warming up instantly, convinced that he truly had the most breathtaking girlfriend in the world. Yaku wished he could tell you that, but he feared you might think him to be too cheesy. “You look stunning,” his eyes met yours and he held out an arm for you to take.

“Thank you, I’m glad it’s okay,” you mumble with a blush matching his own, latching onto his forearm as he redirected you to your table that was decorated with white and gold cutlery and trinkets.

“Okay?” he turned to give you an incredulous look, “It’s more than okay, you really made me lose my breath back there.”

“Stop,” you whine out softly, dipping your head to hide your worsening blush. Yaku merely chuckled, kissing your temple and pulling your chair out for you. You thanked him after having been scooted forward and the evening was spent indulging in delicious food and almost crying of laughter due to your wild conversations. He took your mind off of everything, and you honestly felt good in your dress.

Once the evening came to a close after desert, Yaku offered to drive you home rather than taking an Uber. Obviously, you agreed and enjoyed furthering your conversation in the warm confines of his car as you could admire him openly and tease him about keeping his eyes on the road if he turned to meet your gaze.

Upon reaching home, the two of you sat in comfortable silence, Yaku making no attempts to unlock the doors and you making no attempt to question why. You wanted to stay with him longer, so even if they were unlocked, you wouldn’t have left.

“Thank you for tonight, you really spoil me too much,” you speak softly, for it’s easy to hear each other over the dead silence.

“I don’t think I’m spoiling you, I’m treating you to what you deserve,” he argues warmheartedly, turning to give you a small smirk. It fell quickly, as his face morphed into that of seriousness.

“Oh no,” you express with a small laugh, “I know that look, you’re gonna-”

“You look really beautiful, (Name), I mean it. I can’t express how glad I am that you’re feeling more comfortable with yourself, and even around me. That really means the world to me,” Yaku declares with the utmost sincerity, grabbing both of your hands in your own.

Your eyes narrow affectionately, your mouth opening but closing shortly after as you have nothing to say. Pulling your hands from his, you reach over and tug him into a hug, your arms around his neck and your chin resting on his shoulder.

“Mori-kun, I swear I’m going to marry you one day,” you mumble, sighing out contently as he rubs small circles into the exposed skin of your lower back.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

#haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu imagines #iwaizumi #iwaizumi hajime #iwaizumi x reader #lev #lev x reader #yaku #yaku x reader

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amphtaminedreams · 4 years ago

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A/W 2020 Fashion Month & Top 20 Collections: Before Vogue Went Blank (Part 4)

Hi all,

Welcome to part 4! It’s gonna be a bit of a shorter one because I wasn’t sure if I could fit the last few collections into my part 3 since I also want to include a ranking of my favourite F/W20 shows. I have so many ideas for what I’d like my next few posts to be (there’ll probably be a bit of gap between them as I would like to try and get some fiction writing in too) and I need help and recommendations on one post in particular so I thought I’d open by explaining that if anyone would like to send me suggestions! The post is basically going to highlight the often under-appreciated personal style of PoC, and I’d also like to make sure I include all types of bodies and genders and ethnicities (other than white girls, as we get enough credit as it is, all a tall, skinny blonde woman has to do is wear some light wash jeans, heels and a blouse and high fashion Twitter are posting non-stop about how incredible her style is)! This can be a celebrity, a model, an influencer or even just one of your friends if you think they deserve some hype too! Obviously there’s only so many photos I can include but I will make sure to look at any suggestions, though of course I’m gonna be biased towards the grungier looks; I gave Dolls Kill a pass for a long time because I thought the brand had changed and become more responsible over the last few years but since Shoddy Lynn’s thoughtless Instagram post during the protests last month and then her lacklustre response video, I say fuck that “goth is white” bullshit, alternative black women are hot af. I’ll also make sure to include a list of my favourite black owned clothing lines I’ve seen people talking about on Twitter and Instagram so again, if you have any suggestions feel free to inbox me. Other than that, I have a couple of lookbooks planned and after, either a post about my favourite shows for style inspiration OR a lookbook depending on whether I have the clothes to do it already/can source a few things from Depop-Depp-I’ve made a commitment not to buy anything new for the next couple of months and I want to stick to that this time round! I’d also like to do a general collation of my favourite summer outfits, an almost scrapbook-y kinda post, and another post on some of my favourite fashion icons (I’ll probs end up repeating a lot of the women from the post I was talking about above but I’ll try and include different outfits to keep it varied!).

Now, into the final part, and the top 20, starting with Tory Burch (I’m really pissed off because I added an unnecessary E in after the R and now Tumblr is once again being stupid and not saving any of my editing changes-also I said on the next post instead of in in the last paragraph and my anal-retentiveness is kicking into high gear).

You’d think it’s a kinda anti-climatic one to open with but I do like this collection! It reminds me a bit of last season’s Miu Miu but more so of Brock’s general aesthetic, though with more layers and in some ways to its detriment, a lot more wearable. Looking like something from a bygone era is part of what gives Brock its mystique, but Burch’s designs are practically made for the Chelsea born and bred lifestyle blogger who dresses for a cold spell in the Coachella valley all year long and treats trawling Pimlico’s furniture shops and meeting their girlfriends for coffee like it’s a full-time job. She’s probably born into money and doesn’t work all that hard but hey, she looks angelic holding a bouquet of flowers and in 2020 we all low-key want her life, right? It’d go against my ethics but...*whispers* it would be nice to be that girl just for a couple of days. It is a gorgeous collection, with a lush colour palette and an ever graceful variety of prints and textures, and it toes the line of being accessible and being worthy of a fashion week spot with dexterity. 8/10 and it only loses marks because it’s safe for the brand.

When it comes to Valentino, they’re a pretty reliable favourite for me, and this season’s collection doesn’t break tradition; this one is slightly grittier than usual too which is a big win for me. Whilst the usual sophistication and delicate details are there, quirky embroidery, sequins and tulle, we also get a lot of leather and more black than usual, which I pray doesn’t a herald a return to people thinking “I only own black clothes and listen to Artic Monkeys” is a personality trait. I don’t know if it’s intentional, but there seems to be a lot of aquatically inspired pieces in this collection too; the 3d roses resemble scales to me (and are a really unique texture), and the way the tulle is placed kinda reminds me of fins and has a mermaid on land feel. It wouldn’t surprise me, since Valentino does tend to draw from nature quite a bit. Highs for me were the Valentino red tulle piece and the tulle pieces in general, of course with the embroidered florals as well which the basic bitch in me always looks forward to. The few lows were concentrated in the leopard print section, a print that for me is really overdone and reminds me of recent Dolce and Gabbana. It was cool when layered with the matching coat but I otherwise could’ve done without it.

Vera Wang is another one of my reliable faves-I think I like this collection even more than the last, it really is a fucking DREAM. The overly floral pieces I wasn’t too keen on but I’ll ignore that on the basis that as with Gucci, the tulle-harness combo is everything I look for in a dress and more. I know manic-pixie-dream-girl is a bit of a slur (not a slur slur but you know what I mean) in terms of the associated character, but this 90s Courtney Love grunge twist on that aesthetic is gold, fully realised big anarchist fairy energy (which is a screen name I’m surprised I don’t see more often and which I might now steal). These dresses were made for someone like Zoe Kravitz or FKA Twigs on the red carpet, and if god forbid I somehow ever ended up on one, I would go to the ends of the earth to be wearing one of the dresses from this collection. Aside from the dresses, I appreciated the moody doesn’t-want-to-be-at-the-family-function teenager inspired sleeves and the 2014 Tumblr Cruel Intentions style knee high socks. Love, love, LOVE it.

So, Versace started off strong with the all black looks-the cut outs were cute if impractical and the fit and flare trousers in particularly were really well fitted (from a distance, at least). I hated the film Red Sparrow but the visuals were very cool, and this section reminded me of that, like a high fashion collection based on Jennifer Lawrence’s character. There were some stunning colour combos in the Ashish like hyper-floral part too, and the houndstooth, marble and Versace tile prints were sick. The black jumper with the flowers on reminds me of a jumper of my nan’s I always wanted that my aunty ended up donating to a charity shop after she died not knowing I liked it. Gutted (not just about the jumper obviously, looool).

HOWEVER, as with many 91 look collections, it was sloppy at times. A lot of pieces I at first liked (I.E the silver dress we saw Kendall Jenner in, included above) are kind of unfinished up close. There was also a big varsity inspired section which was nice at times but got pretty repetitive and occasionally looked like it could pass for Jack Wills or a bad Michael Kors collection. On the whole, it had both its pros and its cons which puts it directly in the middle of the pack.

Victoria Beckham’s collection is near the lower-middle quartile when it comes to plotting the highs and lows of the F/20 collections. The pieces are pretty and accessible, I’d definitely wear them, but they’re predictable and mostly a rip-off of other brands who did something similar in a more interesting way. Though her collections are never really experimental, this one is particularly safe, and she and whoever helped design this season’s pieces were clearly avoiding the edges of the box like a child playing the floor is lava. It’s alright, and I hate coming towards the end of the post with negativity, but I have to be honest, and this just doesn’t really interest me beyond a “yeah, that’s nice” glance.

Vivienne Westwood, on the other hand, is always interesting whether I would actually wear it myself or not. Despite the mix and matchiness that is essential to the deconstructed look, which being the basic bitch I am I often struggle to see past, there were some gorgeous pieces and eurgh, I could really talk about that Bella Hadid look all day. The contrast between the exaggerated femininity of the waist cinchers against the androgyny of the less structured, oversized pieces is a really interesting one and the colour combinations work beautifully together. I also love the idea behind the collection, which is, in the words of Andreas Kronthaler about “rites of spring, and the good and the bad, and conflict, and the good prevailing over evil”. Ahhh, I hear you say. THAT’S what’s with the garlic necklace. Can I get another pat on the back for summing up this collection as “vampire slaying uniform” in my notes? I mean, that’s kind of a good vs. evil situation, isn’t it? I know it’s hard to ignore how hot vampires always are in TV series and movies but just think of the true forms of the ones off Penny Dreadful and remember THEY DRINK BLOOD (I personally think being a vampire would be really cool, just need to work out how to do it “ethically”).

Lastly, Zimmerman, and I really can’t say how happy I am to end on a positive note because this collection was stunning. Not without all the characteristically ornate, indulgent and painstakingly detailed efforts we’ve come to expect from Nicky and Simone Zimmerman, these looks (in an icy winter themed colour palette as well) are the offspring of a sophisticated flower child and a 70s glam rocker and I think with this sentence I’ve finally put my style aspirations into words. Honestly, give me the money to produce a modern day Almost Famous and I’ll make my character this no-nonsense intersectional feminist front woman of a fictional Haim-like band who sings with the voice of an angel but is rock and roll as fuck and eats men for breakfast and I’ll put her in this collection and (deep breath) it would be ICONIC. There. Got to the point eventually. Am I talking about a 2020s version of Steve Nicks? Possibly. After all, I do have a framed illustration of her on my wall. But regardless, I need those lace-up velvet BOOTS, that mesh dress with the celestial embroidery, the flame detail pieces, the white pussy bow blouse with the eyes on it. Everything is sooo dreamy; when I was looking through the collection for my favourites, I saved pretty much every. single. look. IT’S EVERYTHING I STRIVE TO BE. WHY CAN’T I AFFORD ZIMMERMAN GOD DAMN IT!?

See, I’ll be going on about Zimmerman in a couple of paragraphs again because it will be very high in my top 20, which I’m so glad is a top 20 BTW. I know I said it would be a top 10 in my last post because I thought that was how I structured it last time but I double checked and it is 20, which is a relief; once again, picking only 10 collections would be very hard. SO! Let’s get into it!

1. Gucci

I hate being predictable but Gucci once again holds the top spot for me. How could I not love this? I would say that I hope Alessandro Michele fucks up next season so I don’t come off as a boot licker but when the boots in question are platform Mary Janes and knee high socks and they’re underneath tulle with BDSM inspired harnesses on top...maybe boot sole doesn’t taste so bad after all.

2. Zimmerman

Well, I did say it wouldn’t be long until you were seeing the same outfits again, so at least you know my word is good.

3. Moschino

Wow, as if putting Gucci first again wasn’t bad enough, Moschino’s also a non-mover. But...Marie Antoinette this season and Picasso last? And this campy? It’s like Jeremy Scott reached into my brain magician-into-a-top-hat-style, picked out an interest of mine at random, and tried to communicate this to me through the medium of design with THE most chaotic energy humanly possible. I an only commend the man, because he succeeded, and I approve. It’s weird because before I always saw Jeremy Scott’s designs as tacky and yet I’ve loved all the collections I’ve reviewed, so I must ask...are the collections getting less tacky or am I getting more tacky? Much to think about.

4. Vera Wang

The battle armour of a punk princess. Not very good at protecting against knives, arrows, bullets or...anything really, but I’ve never really been the kind of person to get into physical fights (apart with a bouncer who tried to push me down the stairs once at an ABBA night but I was really drunk and she was mean, alright!?), so who cares? Nobody can make you do anything in dresses this pretty.

5. Lanvin

I’m a few years behind everyone else but I’m still on the Mad Men hype train and I don’t ever want to get off. All I wish is that Betty Draper had *SPOILERS* divorced Don’s detty arse earlier and rode off into the sunset in that white Bella Hadid coat with the red lip to match (or the checkered one above will do).

6. Etro

As long as she remains the queen of dreamy bohemian fashion, I’m not gonna do Etro dirty by putting her any lower than this ever again on the basis that she’s not conceptual enough which ashamedly is what I implied in my last ranking-yes, Etro is a she because just as most women deserve more from men, she is beautiful and deserves better than my previous disrespect! I said what I said.

7. Dilara Findikoglu

I see your Thom Browne and your Commes Des Garcons and I raise you my “weird”-though-not-actually-that-weird-at-all-can-we-all-just-dress-like-this-on-a-day-to-day-basis-please? fave, Dilara.

8. Paco Rabanne

Battle armour that actually COULD protect you against knives, arrows, and bullets. Maybe. Well, you’d hope so anyway for the price.

9. Rodarte

Suddenly my phobia of spiders has evaporated. And no, it doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that these ones are diamond encrusted, what are you on about?

10. Alberta Ferretti

The colour combinations in this collection were stunning. Honestly. I just picked a really bad pic to illustrate that. Go read my first post to see (grifting 101: complete)!

11. Charlotte Knowles

I saw Bella Hadi wearing a Charlotte Knowles two piece, so I bought a Charlotte Knowles two piece.

LMAOOO, I wish.

12. Balenciaga

It’s occurred to me a couple of posts too late now on the basis that Tumblr is being a dick and won’t go back and let me edit stuff, even little typos, but I’m now wondering if there’s a link between the climate change theming of the show and the exaggerated structures of the pieces? Ya know, the whole abundance is killing the planet line of thinking? I know analysis isn’t exactly on brand with these silly mini captions and that oversized and exaggerated proportions is one of Balenciaga’s running motifs anyway buuut just a thought I had! And sidenote: I do believe overconsumption is killing the planet! The way I phrased that made it seem like I’m a climate change denying dickhead! That I am not! Maybe if I shave my head, legally change my name to Steve, get a British flag tattoo on my bicep, and spend every waking moment in my nearest Spoons I’ll get there but it’s not on the agenda quite yet!

13. Christopher Kane

If fashionable robots took over the world, they’d raid Christopher Kane’s studio and fry us all with laser beams whilst wearing his dresses.

14. Fendi

Siri, play Vroom Vroom by Charli XCX.

15. Olivier Theyskens

Mandarin collar. Mandarin collar. Mandarin collar. NEXT TIME I WILL REMEMBER WHAT THE PROPER NAME IS INSTEAD OF NEEDING TO GOOGLE IT AGAIN. Come on brain, you’re supposed to be good at this kinda thing, make it happen.

16. Elie Saab

Blair Waldorf’s wet dream. Add in some platform boots and chain jewellery and now it’s my wet dream too.

Because Chuck Bass is creepy as FUCK and maybe it’s because I watched Gossip Girl at the ripe old age (lol) of 21 and most people watch it as teenagers but I don’t know why YOU WERE ALL SO OBSESSED WITH HIM! He tries to sexually assault Jenny who is about 14 in the VERY FIRST EPISODE. I think I went off on a tangent here but it had to be said. You girls have no taste.

Don Draper was an absolute dog, but he was played by Jon Hamm, and he might be one of the finest men on the planet. What’s your excuse, Chuck and Blair enthusiasts?

17. Miu Miu

As someone who has probably been/met many a spoilt brat in her time, I appoint Miu Miu as the official sponsor of the Spoilt Brat™ aesthetic and yeah, that’s something I just made up but I’m on the money here. Imagine one of those “daddy, can you get me a pony?” types all grown up. Are you telling me you don’t picture her in Miu Miu? Because that sounds like a lie.

18. YSL

The war flashbacks I get of the Friends episode where Ross tries to get out of those leather trousers aside (I know it’s PVC her not leather but they have the same sheen, you can’t deny it), these outfits turn me into the irl version of the heart eyes emoji. It’s not like I think this is the best collection I’ve ever seen, YSL could def push the boat out a bit in terms of experimentation, but there aren’t many people who wouldn’t look hot as fuck in one of these pieces

19. Balmain

I didn’t like ALL of it, but the looks that I did like were amongst the ones that stuck out to me most when I was reflecting on the collections I’ve reviewed: the breast plates and silk capes and the scorpion detailing are real chef’s kiss moments.

20. Marques Almeida

Miss the collection that gave us this coat off the list? Never.

SO!

That is the end! Wow! I started saving the photos for this review back in late January/early February or whenever it was that the first fashion week began and now it’s mid-fucking July!? I don’t know if that speaks more to my incompetency or what a state the last few months have been. I’m not gonna write a super long ending paragraph because you’ve heard enough from me already and it’s 2:30am and I’m being hassled by Trump supporters on Twitter (literally just for stating that it’s a privilege to be able to pursue a career you truly have a passion for rather than having to be practical about finances first) anddddd I’ve got a closing shift tomorrow so I should probably log the fuck off and remove my clown makeup before it’s time to start my shift, lol!

Quick recommendation before I wrap this up, there was a really interesting debate on ITV literally a few hours ago on the Stephen Lawrence case that I thought I would recommend (they also showed the 1999 dramatic portrayal of events afterwards) about racism in England and whether or not much has changed since the murder. I didn’t catch the whole thing but from what I did see, there were some really strong points being made and I think it could be a good thing to sit and watch with your family members if you want to get talking about the Black Lives Matter movement and aren’t sure how to broach the topic. I bring it up because I feel like most middle-aged white people trust ITV so they’re less likely to turn their noses up (lol, I wish I was joking) at it and maybe go in with a more open mind. I’d like to keep the conversation about social issues going so if there’s anything you’d like me to get some information together on and make a post about-I read yesterday that there’d been arrests of THE PEOPLE PROTESTING the way Breonna Taylor’s death has been handled. No, not the police officers responsible for her death, the people simply pointing out that those police officers have done wrong. It’s a ridiculous situation and just shows how deeply embedded a police officer’s supposed right to kill and to use force is in upholding the American status quo. I wish I could end the post on better news, but let’s hope that next time I post, there is some, and as always thank you for reading til the end if you did get this far! I really don’t have all that many followers on here but do et me know if there’s anything I can reblog or share to help.

Lauren x

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iwillgiveyoumyhappiness · 5 years ago

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이장준, Lee Jangjun

anonymous asked:

Hi 화성아! Could I please request a Jangjun imagine where you're their new stylist and he gets feelings for you? (Sorry if it's incredibly vague) as usual take your time!

Group: Golden Child (골든차일드)

Member: Jangjun

Jangjun plopped himself in front of the mirror, mussing his hair up a little, tucking it behind his ears prettily and fluttering his lashes to make his members laugh. They thought it was funny, but they were also trying to reign in their crazy a little bit.

Why?

Because there was an unfamiliar face in the room, and they didn’t want to seem too weird for her tastes.

She was a new stylist, dressed in a nice mixture of business and casual, setting up her work area and laying out all of her eye shadow shades with a sensible, yet somehow random attention to detail.

She was pretty and looked well put together while still having an air of chill coolness about her that didn’t make her seem unapproachable, and of course—when it came to someone interesting like that—the members were thrown into a state of, “Oh my gosh, everyone shut up, we need to make a good impression.”

In Jangjun’s eyes, he didn’t see the point in hiding themselves. Especially since she was going to be around there for pretty much ever.

“’Scuse me!” he called, waving his hands and grinning widely into the mirror.

She met his eyes in the glass, giving a small smile. “Yes?” she said. “You up first?”

“Aye, aye, ‘cap,” he joked. He settled himself comfortably in the leather-covered chair, his sweaty hands sticking to the arms and making a sound akin to velcro tearing when he readjusted them.

She glanced down at his hands as she brushed through his hair. “You nervous?” she asked.

He followed her gaze, chuckling at himself. “Seems like it,” he said, stretching out his fingers and cracking his knuckles. “I don’t actually know why, though.”

“I admire the honesty,” she murmured, trying to carefully comb her way through a small tangle.

He smiled proudly to himself. “Why, thank you, ma’am.” He snapped his fingers, a thought coming to mind. “By the way, what’s my concept for today?”

She hummed thoughtfully. “I’m thinking... Misunderstood bad boy? Leather-clad with passionate red undertones. Maybe a bandana tucked into the pocket.” She nodded confidently to herself. “Yup, definitely that. I can envision it going super well with the Without You choreography.”

Jangjun blinked, but his smile never lessened. “I don’t really know what you just said, but I’m down for it and I approve,” he said, flashing a thumbs up.

She chuckled under her breath, too quiet to hear. “Well, isn’t that good to hear,” she joked, pulling some scarlet hair extensions out of her makeup bag. She experimentally held them up to his hair, playing around with a few different placements.

She made an ‘ooh’ noise at one point, commenting under her breath that they “really brought out the highlights in his eyes”, so he could only assume that was a good thing.

She tied his bangs up with a cute Strawberry Shortcake scrunchie, the hair sticking up like a bean sprout. He couldn’t help but snort a little. “This part of the concept?” he asked.

“What do you think?” she challenged playfully. It wasn’t really something that required an answer; they just chuckled easily. “Hey, can I ask you a question?” she said, mixing together a blend of orange and brown eye shadow.

He nodded, smiling in a friendly, reassuring way. “Sure,” he said, “what’s up?”

“Is it just me”—she gave him a look, as if asking for permission to apply his makeup. He closed his eyes as a silent answer—“or are your members kinda scared of me?”

Jangjun almost burst out laughing, but he stopped himself so as to save himself an eye-gouging via makeup brush. It’d happened before and it was unpleasant in every sense of the word.

“Perceptive,” he answered, the hint of laughter in his tone. “It’s really not you, though,” he assured her. “They’re just worried that they’re too weird, so they’re acting all overly-polite and uptight. Heck, Donghyun’s even pretending to read a book! Probably doesn’t even notice it’s upside down. Don’t worry, though—they’ll warm up to you fast.”

She skimmed the makeup brush over his skin, a feather-light and skillful action that felt as if it were barely there at all. “So why don’t you try to hide how weird you are?” she asked casually, as if it were the most normal thing to ask. “Don’t smile, please” she warned, noticing the corners of his lips begin to turn upward.

He sucked in his lips in an attempt to keep the smile under wraps. “Oh, believe me,” he started, “this isn’t half the weirdness that I have to offer. Don’t wanna scare you off too fast.”

She chucked. “Is that right?” She instructed him to purse his lips, applying a light layer of tint to them. “Well, I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of that zaniness, Mr. Celebrity.”

“Mr. Celebrity?” he echoed. “I have a name, y’know.”

She started filling in his eyebrows. “Hey, there’s ten of you guys and I just started working today,” she said. “Cut me a little slack, yeah? Until I’ve memorized all of your noses, you’re Mr. Celebrity #1, he’s Mr. Celebrity #2, so on and so forth.”

“At least I’m number one,” he shrugged, pausing for a moment before a realization dawned on his. “Also, what was that about noses?”

She stopped her movements for a moment, almost as if realizing she’d said something dumb. “Nothing, really,” she said, trying hard to sound nonchalant about it. “It’s just a...” she searched for the right word, fiddling with the brush in her hand, “...thing that I have.”

He peeked an eye open. “And what is this thing?” he asked playfully. “I’m curious now.”

She huffed a breath of air, pulling the scrunchie out of his hair and letting his bangs flop onto his forehead, covering his eyes just slightly. “I have a thing where once I recognize and remember a person’s nose, I can pick them out just about anywhere,” she explained, grabbing a comb from off the side table.

She parted his hair on the side, carefully brushing out any tangles. “Basically, it’s nothing special,” she said. “Just a thing.”

“It’s cool, though!” Jangjun insisted, smiling at her in the mirror. “Out of all the noses in the room, whose nose do you think you’ll memorize the fastest?” he asked, gesturing around the room.

She looked around for a moment, pursing her lips in thought. “Him,” she finally said, pointing off to the left. “The handsome guy with the light hair and thick lips that’s glaring down at his phone because he just lost a round of Angry Birds.”

He laughed loudly, catching the attention of a few of the members. Daeyeol muttered something between the lines of ‘you’re loud’ and ‘I wish you were more awkward, ‘cause I’m jealous’, quickly trying to get back to his pre-performance nap.

“That’d be Jaehyun,” Jangjun said. “Why his nose?”

She shrugged, going back to his hair. “I don’t know,” she said simply, “it’s just not one that you easily forget. It’s kinda bumpy and long, I guess? But in a nice way.”

He laughed again. “Oh, he’s gonna love hearing that,” he said, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

She frowned. “I’d prefer if you didn’t tell him,” she said.

“If it’s a secret, why’d you tell me then, huh?” he joked, quirked an eyebrow up at her.

“Because you asked!” she defended herself.

He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “So you’re one of those people that does whatever people say... How disappointing.”

Her jaw dropped. “You have got to be kidding.”

He managed to keep a straight face for all of thirteen seconds before he bust out in giggles. “Lucky for you, I am.” He gave her a thumbs up. “Your nosy secret’s safe with me.”

She left out a relieved sigh. “Don’t mess with me like that!” she warned. She put her hands on her hips. “You know I’m in charge of how you look on stage, right?”

He blinked. “You have made a fair point. I’ll reign in the idiot that’s trying to jump out of my body.”

“Oh, he’s not already out?”

Jangjun froze for a minute, letting her words sink in before he laughed and covered his face, feeling a little bit embarrassed. “You know, I think you’ll fit in here nicely,” he said. “You’ve already got the roasting down pat.”

She smiled a little, not letting it reach its full brightness. “I’ve had practice,” she said. “Got enough siblings to keep me busy.”

He made a curious little chirping noise. “Tell me about that.”

That’s how their conversations went for weeks, going on months. Always a new subject, never boring and always filled with laughs. It turns out, even though they were pretty different, they also had a lot of similarities.

They enjoyed cheesy movies with a passion, they had their ‘dumb sides’ (as some of the members liked to put it), they both had a habit of accidentally making themselves seem like fools, but it didn’t matter much as long as someone else laughed—all in all, their chemistry was something he enjoyed.

In fact, he couldn’t remember frowning in front of her yet.

Something he did remember, though—and that liked to wake him up at midnight to torture him with embarrassing thoughts—was how gentle her fingers were, filled to the brim with a tingly kind of tenderness.

The way they carded through his hair to try out a new style, the way they smoothly gilded across the skin of his cheek as she applied concealer or highlights. Not to mention the focus on her face when she was applying his makeup and the ridiculous butterflies he’d started getting whenever she had to lean close and put something on his lips or work on an important detail with his eyeliner.

Recently, all he could think in those moments were, “Shit, shit, shit, please don’t come any closer—I might die.”

Perhaps a bit dramatic, but when wasn’t he?

The only irritating thing was, the closer he got to her, the closer the others got, too. Close enough for her and Daeyeol to go out on coffee runs together, close enough for her to cheer Seongyoon on during games and compliment him on his voice, close enough to have a joint playlist with Youngtaek and so many other things that he didn’t even want to mention.

In summary: they were close. They were all friendly with her and getting closer as the months passed by, and Jangjun supposed that he must like her as more than just a friend, because that bothered him.

A lot.

So, he’d made up his mind. Today was the day.

If she liked him, she did. If she didn’t, oh well. They could still be good friends and have a successful work-relationship. He didn’t have the time to think about consequences or any of that dumb stuff, he just really wanted to tell her how he felt.

His eyes didn’t come off of her once as she spread the powder foundation gently across his cheeks. He couldn’t help but notice the curve of her lips and her nose; the apples of her cheeks. The attention in her eyes as she worked skillfully to give him the best appearance possible.

“How long are you gonna keep staring at me like that?” she asked absentmindedly, capping the jar of concealer. “It’s gettin’ a little creepy,” she joked.

He didn’t really answer. He just chuckled, smiling earnestly.

She gave him a look. “Seriously, you’re being weird,” she said, “and not your usual weird.”

He shrugged. “You look nice,” he said.

“Thanks...?” She furrowed her brows. “That was sudden.”

He laughed. “Not as sudden as this,” he said, leaning forward and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

She jumped back, a cutely surprised look on her face. “Dude!” she whisper-shouted, threatening to smack him over the head with a makeup brush. Her eyes darted side to side, trying to make sure no one had seen. “What the heck was that about?”

“You look nice,” he repeated. “You looked nice, and I wanted to kiss you.”

She stared at him, mouth hanging wide open. “You’re kidding, right?”

He shook his head, his expression getting more serious. “Not this time,” he said. A flash of worry came over him. “Unless... you want it to be a joke.” There was a beat of silence. “If you want it to be one, we can just laugh it off and forget it,” he offered.

She cleared her throat, her cheeks hot and red. “No...” she mumbled quietly, rearranging her lip tints like her life and sanity depended on it. “No, it’s fine.”

He gave her a questioning look, tugging at her shirt for a moment to get her to look at him. “What do you mean?” he asked, a brow quirked curiously.

She looked shyly down at her feet. “It’s just...” She met his eyes, but only in the mirror. It was like a little wall between them that gave her a little courage.

“I memorized your nose first.”

I hope you enjoyed it, 나의 쌍둥이! Jangjun is such a cutie. ;-; He’s like a magical happiness pill. And, if you’re wondering about the nose thing, I have NO idea where that came from. I was just writing it and that came to mind, and for whatever I thought, “Yup, we’re gonna go with that.” Love ya!!

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braincoins · 6 years ago

Text

The elevator doors dinged and Shiro held his right arm out. “Here we are.”

“Such a nice young man,” the older woman gushed. Of course she’d say that; he was carrying her groceries for her. “And you’re sure I’m not putting you out?”

“This is the floor I need,” he assured her again, following her out of the elevator and to her door. “Oh, and you’re right next door, too.”

The woman stopped, key almost to the lock, and looked him up and down. “Are you here to visit A or C?”

“A,” he answered.

“Oh, that explains it.” She chuckled to herself and resumed unlocking the door.

“Explains what, ma’am?” he asked, hovering in her doorway.

“Never you mind.” She took a bag from him and carted it inside, then came back for the other one. “And we’re usually fast asleep by 10 PM; way my husband snores, I can’t hear a thing.” She patted his hand and smiled and closed the door.

Shiro cleared his throat, fearing he was blushing, but went to knock on Allura’s door. She’d asked him not to teleport over this Sunday; apparently, it unnerved Coran too much.

When she opened the door, she blinked. “Why are you blushing?”

Damn. “I, uh, met your next door neighbor.”

“Oh, she’s a sweet thing, isn’t she?” she asked as she stepped back to let him in. She was in a light pink sleeveless shirt and a pair of blue jeans.

“Yes, and she says that after 10 PM, they basically can’t hear anything anyway.”

“Oh?” Then it hit. “OH.” She closed her door hastily. “Well. Good to know.”

“Come in, come in! I’ve got presents for you both!” Coran said grandly from the living room. He was wearing a dark blue sweater vest over a lighter blue shirt and navy slacks. He had an old bag from The Container Store sitting on Allura’s coffee table. “Allura’s first, of course.”

“About time,” she muttered. “He’s been hovering over that bag like a helicopter, determined not to let me see into it. Even though I can smell the cookies.”

“Well, yes, of course I brought over some fresh snickerdoodles, but that’s not the important stuff.”

“Cookies are always important!” Allura declared.

“Hush,” Coran told her. He reached into the bag and pulled out what looked like a light blue choker with a silver, widespread V on it. “For you, Princess.”

“How many times must I tell you not to call me that?” she asked as she reached out to take the choker. But when he handed it over, her hand dropped. “Whoa! This is heavier than I expected!”

“Can I?” Shiro asked. She passed it to him - to his left hand - and he blinked. It looked like a typical choker of blue ribbon (aside from the silver V on it), and it moved like one as well, but it felt like a steel bar, or maybe lead? It was heavy for a choker, but not so heavy that he felt it’d be a pain to wear. He passed it back to her. “Weird.”

“Put it on,” Coran urged Allura. And once she had, he said, “Now, think about becoming Starlight - including the shifting and everything.”

She closed her eyes and started to grow taller. Shiro was used to this by now. What he wasn’t used to was what happened next: the choker started to ripple and Allura’s Starlight costume began to ripple down from the choker, over her shoulders to her fingertips, down along her body all the way to her feet. Boots, belt, pouches, everything was there. When Allura opened her eyes again, she blinked down at herself in surprise.

“Your mask and ear pieces are in that pouch there,” Coran said, pointing it out to her. “I couldn’t quite figure out a way to get them to autogenerate.”

“This is amazing,” she breathed, pulling out the mask and ear pieces and fitting them into place.

“You need a quicker way to get into costume,” Coran observed, “without always having to run by my place to get it. I understand not wanting to keep it here, just in case, but now you don’t have to worry about that: so long as you have the choker on, you can transform back and forth.”

“Really? It’ll go the other way, too?”

“Put your mask and ear pieces away, and then think about reverting,” he told her.

She pulled them off, stowed them back in the pouch they came from, and closed her eyes again. It took her a moment, but once she started shifting back to “human” form, the process began to reverse, leaving her back in her sleeveless shirt and jeans once more.

She opened her eyes and held her hands out, looking at herself. “Coran, this is incredible!”

He puffed his chest out. “Altean technology is the best in the universe!” he declared proudly. “And now, for Shiro...”

“I don’t think I could pull off a choker,” he protested immediately.

“I don’t know, I think you’d look quite fetching...” Allura murmured.

“Not while I’m here,” Coran groaned. “No, no, I worked that functionality,” he reached into the bag, “into your new arm,” he finished as he pulled it out with a flourish.

Shiro’s breath caught in his throat. Where his Galra arm had been mostly black and silver, this was silver and light gray. It had similar styling, but felt sleeker and, when he picked it up, a little lighter. “You made me an arm?”

Coran cleared his throat. “I adapted the Galra one, since I had hold of it. This one will still need quintessence to power it, but Allura has returned Luka’s to her. And I’ve done some upgrades to it - like, for instance, allowing it to generate your costume for you. Let’s hook it up.”

Shiro was practically tearing his t-shirt off and he heard Allura grump, “I’ve never seen you get out of your clothes that fast for me.”

“Not While I’m Here,” Coran declared again. “Help him get that old thing off,” as he indicated the arm.

Allura helped him unbuckle the prosthetic and set it aside. He still had the base for this arm attached, of course. “Is this going to hurt like the Galra one did?”

“Shouldn’t,” Coran said. “Also, it should be removable if you want it to be removed. This... might look a little weird though.”

“Show me,” he said eagerly.

Coran put the arm up to the base with the palm of the hand facing out, away from his body. “You just line it up like this...” Shiro could vaguely feel things clicking into place. “And then twist it so it locks into place.” And when he did so, Shiro understood what he meant, because it looked like it should hurt, to have your arm twist so much - to even have it in that beginning position to begin with - but it didn’t hurt at all, it just... it looked weird. But once it locked into place - with another satisfying CLICK! - it looked fine.

“Now, we just need Allura,” Coran said.

“I’ve been practicing,” she told him as she stepped up. “Turn to face me, please.”

He did so.

She stepped into him, taking hold of his inactive right hand and pressing her other hand to his chest. “Most of what’s going to go into this arm will be your own quintessence; you, for some reason, have extra, as Dr. King said. But there will be some of mine in there as well. There’s a small crystal in your arm that will help store and channel the quintessence, too.”

“Activating the arm was what hurt the most, before.”

“This shouldn’t hurt at all,” she told him with a smile. She closed her eyes again and Shiro felt... warm. Loved. Protected. It felt like she was giving him a massage of sorts? Except it wasn’t his muscles, but the energy within them. She was drawing it out and into the arm, and instead of pain there was just a growing warmth, as if...

“...it’s like it’s my own arm,” he murmured. He tried to move his hand and felt it respond, holding Allura’s hand and giving it a soft squeeze. “It’s like I have my own arm back, almost.”

She opened her eyes, the warmth dimmed, and she pulled away from him. But the arm still felt like his. If it weren’t for the fact that it was clearly metal, it really would feel like his natural arm.

“It’s because your own quintessence is in it,” she said. “So of course it feels more like you.”

“Try to put your costume on,” Coran urged, almost bouncing with excitement. “You don’t have to shift, but just...”

It was already happening: from up near the top of the arm, almost where it joined to the base, black cloth was rippling into existence, flowing down over his hands into gloves, up his shoulder, to his neck, up and over the back of his head and down along his other arm. It felt like rivulets of thick water, almost, except it was forming the familiar fabric he was used to. His right hand made a fist and opened again and in a span of a few seconds, he was Paladin.

“Well, you’ve got the hang of it, I see.”

“This is amazing,” he breathed.

“And that’s not all the arm can do!” Allura exclaimed. “Tell him what else you managed, Coran!”

“Well, the old arm was already capable of significant grip strength. I kept that, and now it’s made with luxidium, a very strong and precious metal, so it should be nigh-indestructible. On top of which, since you have that extra quintessence, I thought you should be able to use it.”

“How so?” he asked in confusion.

“Concentrate on sending your quintessence into your hand,” Coran told him. “On... well, on concentrating it there.”

He held his right hand up and tried to focus on that. “Sorry, it’s difficult... I’m not used to thinking of moving my life energy around.”

“Tell him what it’ll do,” Allura advised Coran. “He got the costume thing quicker than I did, even. He just has to think of it as an effect to be reached. Like with his teleporting.”

“Oh, fine. It ruins the dramatic reveal though.” Coran huffed a little. “You should be able to heat your hand up, hot enough to cut through Earth metals - or weld them together! Don’t worry, it won’t destroy your costume in the process.”

He stared, wide-eyed, but both the Alteans were clearly waiting for him to try it, so... okay. He focused on heating his hand up.

It began to glow - it looked purple through the fabric - and he could feel the heat wafting off of it. “Incredible.” He mentally turned it off, and the glow stopped. The heat disappeared. “Wow, is it...?” He touched his right hand with his left experimentally, and although the hand was warmer than usual, it wasn’t burning hot. “It cools off so quickly!”

Coran was all puffed up again. “Luxidium is rare and precious, like I said.”

“Your punches should land a lot harder, too,” Allura said, “with your right hand, anyway.”

Shiro started the costume rippling away again and examined his arm once it was back to “normal”. The same widespread V was engraved on the back of the hand, just above the wrist. “What is this symbol?” he asked.

“That is representative of the widespread arms of the Goddess of the Universe, She from whom all life springs,” Coran informed him grandly. “She is divine above all other gods and goddesses, and the one who first blessed the line of Sacred Alteans.”

“My patron Goddess,” Allura summed up for him as he pulled his t-shirt back on.

“I thought you should match,” Coran added, nodding to Allura’s choker. “And besides, this arm was to be activated by a Sacred Altean. I thought invoking the Goddess of the Universe would be a help.”

“I like it,” Shiro said. “And I certainly don’t mind matching Allura. Well, to the extent anyone could.”

“Stop,” she protested with a blush.

“So there you have it! All done but the snickerdoodles,” Coran said.

“Oooh!” Allura practically dove for the bag.

“Ah ah! You’ll ruin your appetite for dinner! And I’m taking us out tonight. I was finishing up the costume autogenerators, so I didn’t have time to plan our usual Sunday dinner.”

“What about Luka?” Shiro asked.

“She’s too afraid to leave the apartment. You two really scared her,” he said with a frown.

“Good,” Allura said. “Galra’s not kidding around. I’m glad she’s taking it seriously.”

“She said she was good with leftover Chinese food and fresh snickerdoodles.” Coran shrugged.

Shiro shrugged. He trusted Coran... and he’d asked Keith if a surreptitious eye could be kept on Coran’s building. Luka was safe. “So where are we eating?”

It didn’t really matter to him. He was still in awe over his arm and the costume - I have a transformation sequence now - and the new abilities it had and it felt so good, so right, mostly like his arm, but a little bit like Allura, too, like she was always with him, and he couldn’t complain about that.

He followed Allura and Coran back towards the door, still looking at his new arm in amazement. And then Allura took his arm in hers and smiled up at him, and he beamed at her before kissing her quickly.

{The Adventures of Starlight & Paladin}

#Starlight/Paladin #Arc 2 #Shallura #I thought I'd do something nice for the first post back #and also give them superhero transformation sequences #it's a little more anime than typically superhero #but Coran's right - they need it #anyway Shiro's a NERD so he's SUPER happy about this

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pjdredful · 6 years ago

Text

The AV Club

Chapter 8

“Get it together, losers. Move!” The all too shrill shout makes me pull an ear bud out and glance around for the source. For a second there are just too many people from the Winter Formal Committee milling around for me to get a good look and then they part before her in a hurried and nervous wave of bodies. There are bullies and bitches in every school in America. There are bullies everywhere. At work places, in grocery stores, in parking lots and at summer camps. It’s just a sad fact of human life. There are jerks everywhere you go. So I’m not surprised that there is yet another one here in my school but I cringe a little internally when I see the face attached to the voice. Oh God. Mo notices my utter lack of movement and stops fiddling with the light board to stare too.

“Evie…is that…” I just nod once and swallow a little convulsively. Audrianna Saveedra. My worst nightmare in the flesh. It isn’t that she’s just a bully. But she’s my personal bully. Orson was always a dick but he never once came close to the horror and humiliation of Audrianna. It’s almost too much for my brain to compute, her being here of all places. Deep brown eyes scan the group assembled for a minute, as if she’s judging us all already. Her gaze passes over me and I let out a slight breath of air that I know no one can actually hear. Maybe its relief that she seems to not recognize me that makes me start to ease back against the hard metal of the folding chair. Or just sheer stupidity.

The laser like focus redirects and swings back my way and I’m pinned by her stare. I pale just a little when her lips curl up in a very Grinch like smile before she clicks her way over and stands right in front of me. I try really hard not to flinch but it happens when the hem of her skirt brushes my knuckles gone white from gripping the box of mics and cables perched precariously on my lap. “Why Evelyn Rossi, I thought that was you. I didn’t know you went here.” Liar. I know she’s lying because her smug little pig nose crinkles just a bit in too much amusement. God. I can’t even believe I once thought she was cute.

“Yeah. What uh. What are you doing here Audri?” It’s too casually said. Too familiar and that makes her smile even more. See I was hoping it would seem nonchalant and cool but it actually came out a little more nervous than intended. All it ended up doing was reminding her that we have a history and that I remember all of it. Mo looks back and forth between us for a minute, unsure if he should say something or not.

“I go here now. Daddy has a new pet project going and it just makes sense for the family to be closer. Blessing is more than two hours away you know.” I know. I give her a non-committal hum and a slow nod, still watching her like she may lunge viciously at me any second. Like a snake swallowing a scared little mouse. And I’m the mouse. “You know…” She leans forward a little conspiratorially and I lean back just a hair. “If I had known you were going to be here I would have brought my camp album.” Whatever color had finally risen to my cheeks vanishes in an instant. I’m sure that album is filled with all the horrible things she did to me at camp every year. Including my spectacular and totally blindsided expulsion from the closet thanks to her.

Mo finally clears his throat a little pointedly and she turns her dark haired head towards him with a jerk making the long perfectly styled locks fling casually over her shoulder. I wonder if she practices that. “So you’re here at this committee meeting why?”

The predatory smile widens and I have just a fleeting second to think ‘shut up or she’ll notice you!’ in Mo’s general direction. Of course. He’s not a mind reader. And I don’t think he noticed my face before his words tumbled out. Either way, it’s too late now and we both know it from the look in her calculating eyes.

“I remember you. You’re that Jewish boy from camp. What’s your name again? Slowmo? Momo? Homo?” My teeth grind together at the last part. Not because I think she’s calling him gay. I know exactly why she’s mentioning it. A reminder that she knows all my secrets and most of my past.

“His name is Mo.” She gives a slow nod as if to say ‘oh yes of course, how silly of me’. Like that makes it alright or something.

“Ah. Mo. I think it should be obvious by now don’t you? I’m here to organize this committee. Properly.” Properly. It’s those little snide comments that she says without so much as a flicker of emotion that gall me. The implication that we’re just too podunk to have a school dance and do it right. And okay yeah maybe I think it galls me a little bit more that this is the third committee meeting in a week and we still haven’t picked a theme or know what the hell we’re all doing yet. “We can’t do anything so tacky as…I don’t know…Under the Sea or….whatever the little theme was last year.” Under the Sea. Which is just dumb because it’s a winter ball. Why would Under the Sea be a good theme for that?

Several people shift nervously and glance at each other. It’s probably pretty likely those are the ones that were pushing it the hardest. It makes me want to champion the theme just because Audrianna doesn’t think it’s good enough. “We haven’t actually picked a theme yet. So…” I trail off rather stupidly because I don’t know what possessed me to speak in the first place or what the hell to say next.

“Hm. So I gathered. Well if you two are done playing with your….” She makes a vague gesture to the collection of sound and light equipment in boxes around us. The disdain on her face is clear as she realizes that this is all the equipment for the dance set up and it won’t be up to her standards. “We should just get started. I think a fundraiser should be the first order of business.” Audri clicks away with a twirl of her skirt and starts calling the meeting to order.

“How exactly did she just walk in and take everything over without a fight?” I just look at Mo and shrug a shoulder. He didn’t have to deal with her much but he should remember her from a few of the camp mixers that shoved camps Little Hawk and Buffalo Trails together once a summer for a night of awkward slow dancing and sugary fruit punch. “Oh right. She’s Audrianna.” My one consoling thought is that she doesn’t have a gaggle of minions. Yet. Still our county is small and the towns in it are even smaller. Which means that Audri can have her cronies up to see her reigning the school with an iron fist at any time. I smirk but it’s not at all confident and becomes less so when Audrianna starts the group brainstorming for fundraiser ideas.

There are a mix of them. Some stupid. Some okay. All of them met with an impenetrable cold stare letting everyone know they fail miserably. It’s almost funny and that little bit of nervous tension in my gut causes me to do something so dumb that even I want to smack myself in the back of the head. I laugh. All eyes drift toward me and I immediately stop laughing. My toe taps the floor experimentally and Mo elbows me with a whisper. “Stop looking for a Hellmouth to fall into.” He’s right. There’s never a Hellmouth when I need one and really what would I do if one actually opened at my feet?

“Is there something amusing Evelyn? Are your fellow students’ suggestions just not good enough for you?” Oh you bitch nugget. Until I laughed she was thinking that exact thing. It was written all over her face and we all could see it. But it’s just like her to turn it around on me. There is no better way to gain support than by making someone else the bad guy. I clear my throat and roll a shoulder in a shrug before sitting up a little straighter. I have to fix this. Somehow.

“No. Not at all.” It’s a little too quickly said and a few snorts and irritated looks are thrown my way. Mo starts to sit up himself like he wants to say something but I just clear my throat and sink a little lower in my seat. Eyes start drifting back to Audrianna, already looking to her for guidance. Gross.

“Well then any suggestions? Since you seem to think no one else here has a better idea.” I never said that! Of course if I sputter and try to deny it she’ll only wave it off. The damage is done and I can see it in the accusatory looks directed at me.

I’m not really so great under pressure so I fidget a little more and squeak out breathlessly. “Car bake thing?” Car. Bake. Thing. My face burns at the condescending laughter she sets off in the group. It’s not that I don’t know what they are. Car wash and bake sale. They are the staple of every high school booster club or fundraising experience. But put on the spot like that, the way she’s making me look like I’m the snob…I just couldn’t make the words come out right.

Audri stops laughing after a minute and purses her lips as if having to explain something to someone as dumb as I am was distasteful to her. “I think you mean car wash and bake sale.” I resist the urge to mock her tone and roll my eyes. Whatever. Thankfully she takes her focus from me and sighs to the group dramatically. “I was told the school doesn’t even have enough in the budget to hire a DJ for the entire dance. We’re going to have to get creative people. Think big. Think grand.”

The alarm goes off on my phone and I silence it quickly. I slide the box of cables over into Mo’s lap and grab my messenger bag from the floor. Mo looks at me with a slight frown. He knows I’m going to meet up with Lirae to talk to her guy or whatever about following Tony around but I think he’s kind of annoyed at having to be stuck with Audrianna for the rest of the meeting. I give him an apologetic look mouthing sorry before trying to sneak out the door. I can just barely make out the sound of laughter as the door closes behind me, no doubt sparked by some mean spirited comment. And I’m pretty sure I know exactly who made it. I shake it off and jog the rest of the way from the tech room to the field. It’s not that far really and there isn’t any need to run but I need to get rid of some of this anxiety churning my stomach.

I can see Lirae perched on some bleachers at the very top, her silver aviator’s flashing in the sun when she turns her head. The wind lifts a curl, pulling it out of the loose pony tail and dragging it across her face. Lirae’s head twists toward the wind and the lock blows back away from her. It was effortless and simple and somehow a thousand times hotter than Audrianna’s perfectly timed hair swish. I take the steps up carefully and drop myself on to the bench next to her. “Hey.”

Lirae looks up, leaning back on the rail behind her and smiles. “Hey yourself. How was the meeting?” I don’t want to talk about it so I just wave vaguely and make some unintelligible mutterings. “Oh yeah that’s totally how those things go.” She laughs in amusement and leans in to nudge me playfully with her forehead. “You ready to go?” I like that she just accepts my non answer with a quiet joke. She doesn’t push me. It’s kind of part of why I like her so much. Everyone always wants me to just talk about things and stuff. Like all of the time. Not Lirae. She gets me and just lets me be me and it’s nice. Comforting.

“Yeah. Mo says the boys will meet us after at the clubhouse. Orson is still pissed the door won’t stay up and wants another crack at it.” I could tell him why it won’t. My dad is a contractor after all and I’m totally a daddy’s girl when it comes to hanging out in the garage. But it’s more fun to watch him struggle to be a manly man. Lirae chuckles and I lean into her side a little more. We’re not exactly cuddling but we’re sitting pretty close and having a lot of little casual touches. Not unusual for us but it seems a little more charged these past few days what with the kissing and all.

“Are you going to let him keep trying to get it right or just butch up and fix it for him?” It’s my turn to laugh now and I shrug.

“I dunno. I kinda like watching him get it mad at the door like it’s defective.” It’s not like the door is fancy or anything. It was just a standard door we managed to pilfer from one of my dad’s renovation work sites. It would have gone in the trash anyway but only because it was old and kind of ugly. But that is perfect for the shack. At least it matches the structure. We make our way down the steps carefully, reaching the bottom at the same time. Lirae tugs me around by the arm when I start to head to the gate instead of the parking lot in the opposite direction. The momentum of it spins me around too fast and I put my hands up to keep us from crashing together. We do anyway and my reflexive jump back causes me to misstep. Lirae’s arm comes out like a whip, snagging around my waist to keep me from falling. And that only serves to make us over balance and topple back against a very hard concrete trash can. It hits my hip painfully but at least it saves us from falling completely to the ground.

Although we’re now kind of awkwardly leaning against the trash bin without moving and in my case barely breathing. So close. Soooo close. “This is totally your fault.” I open my mouth to argue that and snort.

“How?!”

“You bumped into me!”

“Because you grabbed me!” I laugh even though this is awkward and my hip hurts like a son of a biscuit. Her laugh echoes mine and her brow comes up before she pointedly looks down between us.

“Oh yeah? Well it looks like you’re the one grabbing me now.” I blink once in confusion and let my eyes drift down between our chests. And that’s when I realize I’ve had my hands on her boobs this entire time. How does this keep happening?? I pull my hands back quickly and clear my throat. Boobs. Nope. Don’t think about it. Boobs. Damnit! My face is burning and I know by the tone of her laughter that I’m beet red.

“Well that wouldn’t keep happening if you weren’t so…breasty.” I don’t…that’s not even a word. I just shake it off as she laughs and pulls back enough to let me wiggle away.

“Oh so it’s my boobs’ fault you keep touching them. Classy, blame the victims.”

“They keep touching me!” My defensive tone makes her laugh even harder and I duck my head to try and hide my own smile. Fine I give up. I throw my hands up in defeat and Lirae takes one with a little squeeze. “Okay. Are we going now or are you going to continue to assault me with your bosoms?”

“Dude…you just said bosoms.” She laughs again tugging me toward the lot. I let her lead the way when I realize we’re headed to Orson’s truck. Well. More like his grandmother’s truck. It’s an old Ford Bronco II that has seen better days. It belonged to Orson’s granddad and she never had the heart to sell it so it was her daily driver. I hop in to the passenger seat and buckle my belt. It is hot as hell and I crank the window down as Lirae gets the truck started. “So what do you think?”

Of? I look around and frown. “What do I think about what?” Are we still talking about her boobs? Because those are good.

“My new ride.” Who’s new ride? Hers? Which? This car? I open my mouth but close it with a click before starting again.

“Grandma sold the truck to you??” She nods full of pride as she pets the steering wheel. It’s seen better days yeah but it’s a pretty solid ride. The idle is smooth and strong and not at all like Mo’s Taurus. I run a hand over the burgundy dash board and smile. “It’s great Lirae. This is so cool. But like how did you pay for it?”

She shrugs and I can see the slightly embarrassed but clearly pleased expression in her eyes when she turns away to put the truck in gear. “My um foster mom bought it for me. I got a 4.0 and I’m gonna get to graduate this year with everyone." It's huge for her. HUGE.

She’s never stayed anywhere long enough be able to show any kind of accomplishment or get any kind of validation or reward for doing anything. Things changed for her when she was placed with her current foster mom, Janine. It wasn’t like things changed overnight or anything but slowly Janine has managed to convince Lirae that she wasn’t about to get rid of her any time soon and that she did have a safe place she could call home. I lunge as far as the belt will let me and wrap Lirae in a tight hug. “That’s awesome! Why didn’t you tell me you got a 4.0! I need to start cheating off you in World Civ by the way. We should celebrate!” My tone changes going from excited to playful as I bob my head a little “I know what’chu want girl.” Yup she knows what’s up.

It’s kind of really adorable that she blushes at whatever I just said. “If you say ice crea…” my tone doesn’t change even a little.

“Ice cream cake, y’all!” Lirae covers her face with her hands for a second then shakes her head with a laugh. Who doesn’t love ice cream cake? The devil, that’s who. “Yeah girl. You know you want it.”

“You’re a dork.” That is one hundred percent true and I give her my best cheesy grin as she starts to pull out of the lot.

“Whatever. You love it.” She doesn’t say anything to that but she doesn’t have to. It takes me a second to realize that Orson is probably going to be annoyed that he didn’t get the truck for himself. “Does Orson know?” She flicks her eyes at me then away going a little quieter as we drive. It makes me start to wonder why she’s acting like talking about him is awkward. We talk about him all the time. Or we used to anyway.

“Yeah. He’s cool.” She’s a little shifty about that but I let it go because I’m not sure I really want to delve into that whole thing right now. Lirae changes the subject on me as she lowers the radio. I look back from the window at her and raise a brow. “So listen. When we get there. Do not, Evie, DO NOT freak out.”

I blink once at that. “What? Psh. No. I’m not gonna freak out, why would I freak out?” I’m totally going to freak out. And probably only because she told me not to. I think she knows it too because she rolls her eyes and takes a left on to the main drag before speaking again.

“Because that’s what you do. Freak out.” I don’t say anything for a minute, just deciding if it’s actually worth it or not. I shrug like it’s nothing, making a dismissive wave with a hand because it’s no big deal. “Evie, I love you but you still look at me like you’re gonna freak out.” Well. She has a point but it’s probably not for the reason she thinks. And I’m going to totally ignore the fact that she said she loves me because if I don’t I’ll fixate on it for the rest of my life. So moving on.

“Okay first of all it is not at all my fault you were a juvenile delinquent in your former life. And not to put too fine a point on it you did totally shake me down for my pocket change the first day we met. Furthermore, I only look at you like that because I’m usually trying not to get caught staring.” At her chest.

Lirae reaches out and smacks me playfully as she drives. I can’t help but notice that she’s laughing and it makes her face look totally different. I like it. “Okay if you bring up that lunch money thing up one more time…”

“You’ll what?” I’m honestly curious. “Ditch me for the star football player?” We just keep tap dancing around the whole weird love triangle thing. God, I can’t believe I actually used the phrase love triangle in reference to myself. It feels like so much bad romance novel even I want to throw up a little.

“Shut up.” I snicker at her response but let it go as I watch the town slide past us. Truthfully it’s not really that funny because she and Orson are pretty tight and like I said before, they’re more on again than off again. It’s a worrisome situation for me. I don’t even know where I fit in. I mean I know we have on occasion recently made out but I have no idea what this is beyond that. “I’m serious about not freaking out though. If you look too nervous he’s going to think something is wrong.”

I frown slightly. “What exactly am I going to be freaking out about?” She goes silent. I frown deeper. She doesn’t say anything at all she pulls into a parking lot of a rundown strip mall. It’s not the best part of downtown but it’s still light out and there doesn’t seem to be many people even around. We park and Lirae pauses after opening the truck door sighing as if she thinks it’s better to just get it over with now. That does not at all make me feel better.

“I don’t know. I guess nothing.” It’s too casual and that makes the hairs on my neck stand on end a little. I get out of the truck, making sure to slam the door a few more times when it keeps popping open again. It finally catches with a click and I spin on a heel nearly plowing into Lirae. “Okay he might maybe kinda hit on me.”

Oh. Well. I clear my throat and give a slow nod. “Oh.” I’m not really sure what to say to that. “Why would I freak out about that?” She gives me a look, her lips going tight before she rolls her eyes at me and starts walking.

“Just come on already.” I have to jog a second to catch up to her. We’re almost at the door to the beauty supply and nail shop before I realize it’s our goal.

“Uh…are we in the right place?”

Lirae smirks as she pulls the door open and saunters in like she’s been there before many times. I follow along behind her trying not to look like I obviously don’t belong. I’m halfway sure I’m pulling it off when Lirae stops in the middle of an aisle and puts a hand on my chest to keep me from continuing on. “What is wrong with you?”

“What?”

“Why are you walking like that?” Like how? I blink at Lirae and clear my throat.

“I don’t know what you mean. I’m just being cool. Like. Chill. Lo-pro.” Lirae gives me a very slow blink and turns away. I am apparently NOT pulling off any of that. This is probably what she meant about freaking out. Note to self, pimp-limp does not equal cool. I have to jog again to catch her before she waves at one of the nail ladies and ducks behind a beaded curtain leading to a hall. We pass an open doorway to what looks like a storeroom before stopping at a closed door. Lirae knocks a complicated staccato before opening the door and waltzing in like she owns the place.

“Hey Chuckles.” The guy she’s talking to looks over his shoulder from his game of dominos and grins widely. He has spinners on his gold teeth. I didn’t even know that was a thing. For a second I’m mesmerized by them wondering the how and why of it all.

“Hey Rae Rae!” He’s easily six and a half feet when he stands and pulls Lirae into a bear hug that lifts her feet from the ground. I can feel my lips pulling down in a frown and I have to force myself not to have resting bitch face. “Damn girl I thought you forgot how to get here. Where you been at?”

“Nah just been busy doing that whole school thing. This is my girl Evie. Evie, this is Chuckie. We go way back.” I know that she didn’t mean it like I’m her girlfriend. It was probably totally just a ‘this is my friend who is a girl’. And really it shouldn’t make me all flustered and bubbly inside but it kind of does. I just wave at Chuckie when he gives me a nod still trying to decide why I’m there at all. “How’s business been?”

He narrows his eyes at Lirae and then at me again before he shrugs and settles on to a futon couch against the wall. “It’s alright. You lookin’ for work again?” The way he says it is just a little predatory and it makes me wonder when she worked for him before and what she did. Lirae gives him a shrug and settles on an overturned bucket leaving me to stand awkwardly a little behind and to the side of her.

“I’m good on that but I could use some help with something. It’s personal.” She doesn’t have to look at the other guys still sitting at the small folding table. They all lay down their tiles and get up without complaint. Lirae must know them from before as well because they wink or reach out to nudge her playfully as they leave the office, closing the door behind them with a solid click. Chuckie’s attention goes directly to Lirae as soon as we’re all alone again.

“What’cha need?” His tone is oddly quiet and professional and that just weirds me out because he looks anything but professional. It’s probably the tattoos he has on his face instead of eyebrows that’s throwing me off.

Hazel eyes drift to me and I give her a nod. Lirae reaches into her back pocket and takes out a business card. It’s Tony’s. “We kinda need this guy followed. Nothing big. Just see where he goes, what he does, who he talks to. No contact.” Chuckie takes the card and reads it then leans back in his seat.

“What’s the dude look like?” This time she slips her phone out from where she stuck it in her bra and flips to a picture of Tony. How did she even get that? I frown slightly and raise a brow that she just smiles and shrugs off. I may never find out how she managed that. “I know this building. I got Marcus running this block. Lots of customers in those corporate plaza offices.” I don’t know why his statement makes this all suddenly more real but it does. We’re really doing this. This isn’t just investigating the paranormal. Now we’re investigating people. Lying bastard Tony people, but a real person none the less.

“You’re not going to ask why?” I wasn’t planning on speaking at all but the question just came blurting right out of me. He gives me a look as he hands Lirae back her phone, his fingers lingering a little too long for my comfort.

“Don’t need to. If Rae Rae is asking it’s for a good reason.” Okay. Well. That answers that. He definitely isn’t going on my Christmas list any time soon but at least he’s not into asking too many questions.

Lirae smiles at him and punches him in the shoulder. “So what’s it gonna cost me?” Chuckie looks her up and down like he’s wondering how far he can push her with me sitting right here.

“We can call it square if you go out with me again.” Oh. OOH. Oh shit. They were a thing. THIS is why she didn’t want me to freak out. My eyes cut to Lirae but she’s looking directly at him giving him a look I can’t quite see from my spot.

“You know that’s not happening. How much?” Well at least I know he’s not really competition. I hope. It’s hard to compete with someone who’s a foot taller than you and wears your body weight in gold on his teeth. Chuckie waves at her like it’s her loss for not choosing the date. Though date may be putting it politely.

“We’re cool, Rae Rae. I got this.” So that’s not so bad. We don’t have to pay him any money but I get the feeling that he’ll be asking her out again. His calculating dark eyes flick over to me then back to Lirae. He’s probably wondering if I’m here to keep him from asking again. I’m not so sure he’d be wrong if he thought that. “So what is it? Mr. Football? ‘Cause you know I don’t care about your little boyfriend. I know you ain’t in love with him.” Wow he’s still going for it. I thought he would at least wait until next time to bring it up.

Lirae stands and tucks her hands into her back pockets and she starts for the door. She pauses to look over at him with a lazy smirk on her face. It’s…kinda of super hot. “That’s exactly why he’s not my boyfriend anymore.”

“So then?”

Her smirk gets wider and she shrugs as she swings the door open. I think Lirae is enjoying this as much for his reactions as mine. “Said he wasn’t my boyfriend, didn’t say I wasn’t taken.” She clucks her tongue at him and winks as she pulls me along behind her. I have just enough time to give a half wave and a squeaked out ‘thank you!’ before we’re too far down the hall for it to matter. Okay then. So she’s taken. I let that tumble along in my brain, my feet moving on autopilot through the shop. It isn’t a big place but all the shelves are stacked high with all kinds of cosmetic chemicals. The smells give me an instant headache and I groan.

My hand goes to my messenger bag instinctively reaching for the bottle of Advil tucked in a pocket. I’m relieved when we exit the shop but my headache only intensifies as dusk deepens around us. I thought it was the smell of the place but even outside my head throbs evilly. This is not the kind of headache Advil can fix but I pop two in my mouth and dry swallow them quickly.

“Hey… you okay?” I give her a nod and blink a few times to clear my focus. It’s still too bright out for the street lamps to go on despite the growing shadows as the sun sinks on the horizon. Unease settles in my stomach and I glance around at the dilapidated shops in the strip mall. A thrift store, a tattoo parlor that could give me hepatitis just from looking at it, and a pawn shop. Everything else looks empty and abandoned. This isn’t the greatest place for us to be right now. In the back of my mind I realize it must be my beacon radar going off.

“We need to go. Like now.” Lirae glances around quickly but doesn’t see anything out there that would make me react like this. It doesn’t stop her from taking my hand and starting toward the truck a little faster though. The wind kicks up and drags a plastic bag across the pavement in front of us. It rises off the ground in an updraft and floats a few inches into a narrow walkway between two buildings directly in front of the truck. My feet stop suddenly and Lirae gets jerked back a little by it. “Wait.”

There wasn’t movement exactly. I can’t really be sure what made me stop. I just know that there is something there. A few more tense breaths pass before the sun finally dips low enough for the lights to click on. A hum of electricity starts but the bulbs only flicker for a second before going dark again. Lirae looks up at them but I haven’t peeled my eyes from the darkness of the walkway. I need light.

The second I think it the lamp splashes light into the walkway. That’s weird. The source seems to be lower than normal. I glance up but the street lamps aren’t lit. Then it dawns on me. It’s me. I’m the light. Oh crap. “Oh shit, Evie. Your eyes.”

“I know.” And so does whatever is watching and waiting.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know but we need to get out of here before more come.” My free hand comes up and wraps tightly around my sigil trying to ground myself before I go full on spotlight again. We start forward together toward the truck and whatever is in that alley. It’s almost a relief when we get into the car unmolested and slap the locks down on the doors but that feeling vanishes when the wind slams into the truck with a hard gust. Lirae and I scream a little in surprise. Okay. I scream a little in surprise. Lirae just jumps and gives me a ‘don’t do that!’ look. “Just go!”

She doesn’t argue, she just puts the car in reverse and backs out faster than she normally would. Something dark flashes in front of the headlights but it was too fast to make out. Lirae mutters a curse and peels out of the lot. I start feeling better the further we get from the strip mall. Gradually my light dims and my headache eases. I still haven’t stopped clutching my sigil but I don’t think I can let go even if I wanted to now. My hand has cramped around it from gripping so tightly. “I thought that thing was supposed to keep this from happening.”

She looking at me from the corner of her eye as she drives and I sigh. “It’s a little touch and go sometimes.” She snorts at that and without looking at me, reaches over and squeezes my hand. That reminds me.

“So you’re taken?” This is so not the time for this. I know it and she knows it. But here it is because I need to be distracted from what almost just happened. I need a distraction from the heavy weight that comes with the knowledge that my time of safety is running out quickly and I need answers now.

“Maybe.” I raise my brows at that but she laces our fingers together in my lap. Okay. Maybe I don’t need to hear it again. We drive in silence for about 45 seconds more before I realize that yeah I kinda do need to hear it again.

“So like…”

“Oh my God! Yes Evie. I’m taken.” She didn’t say by me but I decide not to push it because her side eyed glare at me says I might not like her next response. I grin happily at her, content with just holding her hand as we ride.

“Kay.” My easy surrender earns me a suspicious look but then she smiles a little nervously at me. Like this is new for her too. I guess maybe it is. We’ve never talked about it but I’ve never seen her with a girlfriend before. Well I’m pretty sure my brain is going to overheat now from obsessing over every single word between us today. I may think of nothing else ever again.

#my writing #the av club story dredful tales

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iwriteshitforpeople-blog · 7 years ago

Note

Hewwo ! Can i ask some male (or genderless, just not female insert, they make me puke a bit)insert x genos smut ? Have a great day !

I really hope this isn’t to bad and I am S O sorry it took so long. Enjoy

(This is so cringy omg I am so sorry)

He had lost another battle, and he now had to ask for Saitama-san to save him again. He was currently laying on the floor, his leg somewhere over to his left and his right arm in pieces somewhere to his upper right-ish area. He let out a sigh as he felt the frustration in his chest start to mix with boredom. He hadn’t heard the concussive sound that often came when Saitama-san killed the offending enemy so he had a while to wait.

He was settling in, getting ready to go into low power to save energy when he heard footsteps. Turning his head he looked to his left expecting to see Saitama but instead saw a guy around his age approaching him. He recognized him as the top ranking A class hero, his strength with his abilities just falling short of the requirements to be an S class hero. Genos had never spoken to him, just having briefly scanned his information and vaguely recalled thinking he was attractive, not that he would do anything with that information.

The guy in question was now kneeling next to him with a look of indifference as he held up a mechanic leg and pieces of what looked like it could be Genos’s arm if you put it back together. Genos just stared at him as he starting messing with wires and other such things, looking like he was trying to reattach Genos’s leg to him. He laid his head back, shrugging internally, it’s not like the guy could make the damage any worse.

Surprise filled him when only a few minutes later he suddenly felt his leg again. Looking down he noticed the guy was working on putting his arm back together and that he leg was fully attached. He bent and moved it experimentally, shock now showing on his face at the fact that his leg was now fully functional. Slowly he sat up, using his one arm and crossing his legs, sitting pretzel style. He was now facing the man in front of him, who now had his attention due to his curiosity in how he had managed to fix his leg and seemed to be doing a pretty good job at fixing his arm.

“How did you do that?”

“So you do speak, I thought you were just a handsome mute.” Genos flushed, steam rising from his ears and the joints by his neck. He looked away, trying to get his systems to cool, feeling like they were suddenly overheating. “For your question, I may be a hero but I was a mechanic at my father’s shop first and I was taught how to fix things since I was 8. I’ve built things with about the same complexity that your wiring and machinery has.” He held up the arm that he was slowly putting back together, giving Genos a smile.

He was very attractive when he smiled Genos realized, very attractive and it was doing things to his heart and his stomach. He knew he was staring, his eyes probably wide and shocked but he couldn’t manage to get his facial features under control as of this moment. The guy reached over and shut his jaw with a smirk on his face.

“I- uh..thank you.” He was embarrassing himself now most definitely, his face felt like it was practically on fire at this point.

“No problem Robocop.” Another smile flashed at him, he had to be malfunctioning at this point. There was nothing else to explain this, perhaps saitama-san could explain it to him later. For now, he decided, I’ll just lay down and avoid eye contact and any possible view of that smile.

“What’s your name?” Genos opened his eyes that he had closed in hopes of faking sleep, it obviously had not worked as this man had asked him a question.

“Genos, S rank.”

“(Y/N), A rank. If you were wondering, I know I was curious about your name.” (Y/N)’s tone was one he had never been addressed with before. Did he respond in the same tone? Would that mean something if he did? He didn’t want to make an enemy of the person in front of him who was currently putting him back together.

“I know your name, I saw you fight once and was curious as to why you were not S rank so I looked you up. Your skills are impressive as is your track record with monsters.” His voice wasn’t exactly monotone but it was nothing like (Y/N)’s.

“Thanks, I’m flattered an S rank hero would notice an A rank hero like myself.”

“You’re a better fighter and stronger than you think. You’ve lasted longer than I have considering you’re the one fixing me.”

“That is true, thank you for the compliment.”

“…You’re welcome.” His chest felt warm, and he felt himself smile. It was a smile and you couldn’t really see it unless you looked but it was there.

Several minutes had passed in comfortable silence before (Y/N) was shuffling over to Genos’s right side and slowly working on reattaching his arm. He stared at (Y/N) while they worked, noticing how soft their (H/C) hair looked. His fingers twitched with the urge to run his hand through it, to tug at it-

His face flushed at the sudden thought in his mind. Where had that come from? He was still staring at (Y/N), his eyes traveling down now, taking in his beautiful (E/C) eyes and past his cheeks and nose to rest on his lips. Another urge filled him, this one urging him to lean up and press his own lips against the soft pink ones of (Y/N)’s.

Can he get sunburn? He would need an excuse for how red his face was slowly becoming with the thoughts that were flooding his brain.

His hand in (Y/N)’s hair, looking down at them as their lips stretched around his stiff-

No, he had to stop that one right there, he did not need a boner while (Y/N) was fixing his arm. He couldn’t handle that kind of awkwardness, and he wasn’t a very good liar. If they asked why he was blushing or had a boner he would most likely tell them.

He heard the familiar click and hiss from his arm as it was successfully reconnected and then (Y/N) was suddenly leaning over him, grinning and giving him a thumbs up, fuck he was cute. The grin turned into a question look and a raised eyebrow as he took in Genos’s flushed appearance.

“Are you alright? Are your systems overheating?” He couldn’t answer, if he did (Y/N) would know everything and he quite enjoyed their company. He didn’t want to scare them off.

His body seemed to have different ideas as it acted entirely on its own volition. He now had (Y/N) pinned under him, a hand on either side of their head and a knee between their legs. The long forgotten feeling of his dick getting hard suddenly hit him like a brick wall. He grit his teeth and leaned down, his lips just next to (Y/N)’s ear.

“If you don’t want me to fuck you right here and now I suggest you get up and leave.” (Y/N) didn’t move, staring up at him in shock as their face filled with color. This time it was Genos who was closing (Y/N)’s mouth, leaning down and placing his lips over those in a kiss that started gentle but turned hungry when he felt the pressure of (Y/N) returning his kiss. His body pressed down against (Y/N), his chest pressed to his.

He felt (Y/N)’s hands on his chest, sliding down to his pants and undoing the buckle on his pants and pushing them down. Genos nearly choked at the feeling of (Y/N)’s hand of his cock, stroking him slowly. He bit his bottom lip and lifted (Y/N)’s shirt over their head and kissed down their chest, leaving marks down their chest as he made his way down to their waist.

He undid their pants, pushing them down and pulling them off of (Y/N)’s legs. He rested (Y/N)’s left leg on his shoulder kissing his way down their thigh, biting and sucking here and there intent on leaving as many marks as he could. He noticed the tent that was growing bigger in their boxers and smirked up at them.

Hooking a finger in the elastic band of their boxers, he pulled them down freeing their dick. He leaned forward and gave it a teasing lick, kissing the tip. When (Y/N) whined he took him into his mouth and suck on the tip, swirling his tongue around the head. He started to stroke the base as he languidly sucked and lapped at the head. Moans and whimpers were falling constantly out of (Y/N)’s mouth.

“Please fuck me already.” He looked up and gave his dick one more kiss before pulling away. He looked at his left hand that was coated in pre-cum and figured that would have to be good enough to stretch him out. He slowly stroked his own cock as he slowly slid a finger inside of (Y/N), groaning at the tight heat that was surrounding his finger. He curled his finger inside of him, slowly thrusting his finger in and out of him. He eventually added a second and third, preparing him thoroughly. When he thought he was ready, Genos stood up and had (Y/N) sit up. He ran a hand through (Y/N)’s soft (H/C) hair, looking down at him.

(Y/N) leaned forward without hesitation and took Genos in his mouth and Genos had to choke back a moan. His mouth was hot and warm, and he was skilled with his and hands, using both to drive him crazy. He tugged at (Y/N)’s hair, moaning his name softly. He felt that familiar coil in his gut so he gently pulled (Y/N) off and laid him down gently, lining up with him. Pushing in slowly, Genos had to grit his teeth to refrain from snapping his hips and burrowing himself in (Y/N)’s ass.

“Fuck.” It was almost comical how they both uttered the curse at the same time. A groan and a whine mixing together. He slowly pulled out and thrust in just as slow and gently.

“Move faster, I’m gonna go insane if you don’t fuck me.” Genos stared at (Y/N) in surprise before pulling out to the tip and slamming back in. He set a slow but hard pace, wanting to feel every inch of (Y/N) as he pulled out. He flipped them over onto their stomach, leaning over their back as he thrusted into them, forehead resting in between their shoulder blades with his right arm wrapped around their midriff. He could feel every time they arched their back, could hear every whimper and moan of his name. His right hand traveled down their stomach to their cock, stroking it slowly, matching the pace he had set with his thrusts.

“Genos, please. Encule Moi” (Y/N) was looking back at him, eyes pleading and bottom lip red and abused from being bitten down on. He was a little shocked they knew french but he disregarded it for another time, memorizing the

look on (Y/N)’s face and then picked up his pace, thrusting harder and faster into him. He abandoned stroking (Y/N)’s cock in favor of grabbing ahold of his hips to gain more leverage and abuse his prostate so (Y/N) would see white when he came. His name fell like a prayer from (Y/N)’s lips and he would be lying if he wasn’t muttering their name as he fucked the (H/C) haired man senseless.

He panted, feeling that familiar coil in his gut as his thrust became erratic, chasing after that fleeting pleasure. He and (Y/N) came together as he hit the bundle of sensitive nerves in (Y/N)’s ass brutally, both of them calling each other’s names as they came.

Genos fell to the side of (Y/N) exhausted, pulling out of him and wrapping an arm around his waist pulling him close. They had already fallen asleep and Genos felt a strange sort of jealousy at the thought of anyone else seeing the other man naked so he picked him up and their clothes and moved the two of them to a more private location away from where they previously were.

~~~~~~~~~~ Bonus ~~~~~~~~~~~

“Genos?” Saitama looked around the area in confusion, he could of sworn this is where he had last seen the cyborg. He shrugged it off, hoping he wasn’t to badly injured. He turned around with the intent to find him, wrinkling his nose. “Ugh, smells weird here.”

#genos #genos x reader #genos x male reader #iwriteshitforpeoplegenos #one punch man

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stardustcoyote · 6 years ago

Text

Art Talk #002

Where should one begin with teaching art? At the most basic element, line? With the history of art? With the Old Masters? What about with looking?

That’s right, I said looking. I invite you to consider my argument for giving more weight to looking in the art classroom. Perception is the essential quality in art, yet we spend so little time encouraging students to look at art, either their own or of others.

The VAPA (Visual and Performing Arts) Standards for 9-12 Proficient in Visual Art mandate the following for Standard 1.0 - Artistic Perception:

"1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information Through the Language and Skills Unique to the Visual Arts Students perceive and respond to works of art, objects in nature, events, and the environment. They also use the vocabulary of the visual arts to express their observations. Develop Perceptual Skills and Visual Arts Vocabulary 1.1 Identify and use the principles of design to discuss, analyze, and write about visual aspects in the environment and in works of art, including their own. 1.2 Describe the principles of design as used in works of art, focusing on dominance and subordination. Analyze Art Elements and Principles of Design 1.3 Research and analyze the work of an artist and write about the artist’s distinctive style and its contribution to the meaning of the work. 1.4 Analyze and describe how the composition of a work of art is affected by the use of a particular principle of design. Impact of Media Choice 1.5 Analyze the material used by a given artist and describe how its use influences the meaning of the work. 1.6 Compare and contrast similar styles of works of art done in electronic media with those done with materials traditionally used in the visual arts."

Yet none of these covers the basic and essential component of perception, looking. One must first look before any processing, analyzing, or responding can be done. Looking it seems, has been overlooked. Along with creating art, looking at art is a learned skill. Students do not inherently know how to look at art, even though they know how to see. This essential opportunity for learning and creating lifelong art appreciators is being missed!

Seeing and looking are different things. Seeing is passive, looking is active. Seeing involves letting sensory input come through the eyes to the brain indiscriminately. Looking however, involves attention and higher-order cognitive processing. Looking is about engagement. It takes time. Looking means seeking out, we are “looking for the answer” not “seeing for the answer”. Looking implies that there is something to be found.

There is a theory that attention spans have shrunk in our modern times where information is not only instantly accessible from infinite options but packaged for quick consumption. Some scientific research has discovered that the average attention span of people today is eight seconds, which is shorter than that of a goldfish. It is true that student’s have a harder time focusing on static imagery for more than a few seconds. Think of how quickly you might scroll through an Instagram feed. It would be interesting to time your engagement with each image. It is less than 5 seconds on average. To successfully look at a piece of art, there really is no time limit, however at least ten minutes of mindful engagement is a good minimum to start with. Ten minutes?! you might be thinking. How will we get students to engage with a piece of art for even one minute, let alone ten?! Never fear! I have a few ideas on how to accomplish this.

Emphasize the importance of looking.

First of all, emphasize the importance of perception and it’s integral function in art. Artist’s have perceived something and manifested it into a piece of art. You as the audience are participating in what I like to call the “reciprocity of perception”. The audience looking at the art is just as important to the piece as it’s creation. In fact, I like to theorize that in looking at art and mindfully engaging with it, the audience is recreating the art anew, over and over again. From the first day in your art classroom, you should emphasize the skill of looking and how the audience’s role is equal to that of the artist’s.

Start small.

Ten minutes is the goal, but could you imagine starting there on the first day of class with ten minutes of silent looking? Students would be bored out of their skulls! Begin with perhaps one minute of looking. Ask students to pay attention to how this feels. Did they feel fidgety? Was it hard to stay engaged with the piece? Were they uncomfortable? It’s great to discuss these things. Then try two minutes and see how this feels. Ask students to be aware of how they feel and what they are thinking and to share these thoughts in a group discussion. Again, looking is a learned skill so it must be practiced. Emphasize the practice element and the experimental element with your students. Show them that even something as simple as looking is actually quite difficult.

Get physical.

Sitting at a desk looking at a piece of art on the projection screen feels like “school”. It also feels like something you have to do which is not conducive to looking and art appreciation. Are you confined to a desk at a museum? Get students out of their seats to look at a piece. Encourage them to get close, far away, look at only the left side, then the right. Sit down, stand up, stand on a chair. Allowing for physical movement lets the brain become more engaged. The body is free and therefore, attention can be relegated to the piece of art. This will help students stay engaged over longer periods of looking.

Guide them through. Again, students to not know how to look at art inherently. They will also not know what they are supposed to be looking for in pieces of art. Although you may hammer away at the vocabulary of the elements and principles of art, seeing these abstract qualities in different works can be challenging for the beginning art student. Ask some leading questions to get them started. What color is dominant here? What is the subject? How many trees do you count? Start easy. Then call their attention to areas of interest. “What do you see happening with the brushstrokes here?” “Are there more warm colors or cool colors?”. Show how looking takes thought and effort and support them as they learn this new skill.

Looking is not about judgement.

It might be hard for your students to not jump directly into judging the work of art, since affirmative judgement is almost inherent in our society (think social media “likes”). Ask them to consider only what they see in front of them without judgment. Starting out, ask students to talk about only what they can see in the actual work of art. As they get more practice, they might want to analyze the piece for symbols, themes, and meaning. Judgement is the final step in critique, although looking does not involve critique. Proficiency in looking will however, result in better critiques in the future as students hone their perceptive skills.

I hope you have found this article helpful. I am quite passionate about reframing art education to move away from being product-focused to being process-focused. Looking does not produce a product but gives students valuable experience with art engagement, making them more likely to continue to look at art once they leave the classroom. We call this practice “slowing the looking down”. Please let me know if you try any of these techniques with your students!

#education #art education #art talk #art teacher #perception #observation #art teaching #school #VAPA #visual and performing arts #high school

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ejstannard · 4 years ago

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Book art outcomes #1

The book which I created this outcome from was Jane Austen’s The Beautifull Cassandra. Here is how the final outcome turned out.

Beginning with the front cover, I wanted it to pop out and be experimental with it so I researched how to do some origami using the pages in the book. I decided to do origami roses to fit with the romantic aspect of the story. I then added some colours with watercolours, making the roses contrast in colour on the page. I liked experimenting with origami and presenting the book of outcomes with a pop-out front page.

The first page in the book contained a quote which read ‘she has many charming qualities, but sobriety is not one of them’. To reflect on that quote, I illustrated a silhouette of a woman drinking a glass of alcohol with the quote ‘sobriety’ stamped over her eyes. I used a brush pen and Micron fineliners for a dramatic, bold effect. This took some thinking about, because I originally planned to just have an illustration there—but I felt that it would benefit with some typography and colour. I felt a lot happier with the page once I’d added the quote across her eyes.

I wanted to develop the illustrative aspect of the first page, so I pencil-sketched a realistic drawing of what I pictured the main character, Cassandra, would look like. I enjoyed practicing drawing realistically and really liked how it turned out. I added a red element to the drawing again, as the idea of ‘red on the cheeks’ (representing insobriety) pops up a lot in the story and I wanted to enhance that idea in my art.

After that I experimented with less realistic styles. Using a craft knife, I cut into the text and created random holes in the page. I tried to make them as random as possible for the next step. On the page underneath, I drew around the holes and drew whatever came to my mind from the shapes. I ended up drawing a doodle-style, planet with bubble-shaped trees and objects. It was very random, but I found it really cool how I could make that from all the different holes carved out of the page. I did the same exercise with another one of the carved pages, which made me think of an interestingly-shaped window. I thought that would go well with the page containing the realistic drawing of the main character.

This next page was very experimental, and wasn’t particularly proud of the result—however my aim was to create a space-themed page using the idea of black holes in my work. I really liked using the watercolours to create a blend of colours though, and found that a lot of different colours can be used for a space-themed sky such as green and some purples.

For this page, I had the idea of using words to “seal” the holes in the page. At this point I was starting to experiment a lot more with manipulating the text in the book, and had a much better idea of techniques I could start using for future pages.

I developed this idea on the next page, where you could see the word sealings on the following page. I used a brick pattern to enhance this idea and join the two flipped pages together.

For this page I decided to do something different. I created a basic collage background using tear-outs of magazine texts, and then experimented with more typographic elements with ransom note-themed text. I chose the quote ‘red in her cheeks’, and cut out letters of different shapes, fonts, and sizes to create this result.

This theme continued onto the next page, where I created a gap in the torn-out paper. I did a quick sketch of someone opening up that hole in the page to develop the idea of gaps in reality and black holes.

[CONTINUED IN NEXT POST]

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sylvaetria · 7 years ago

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Tips for Sigils

Anonymous said: Hello! I'm sort of interested in becoming a witch. (I'm still a little skeptical about it, but that's probably normal, right?) I've been looking through your blog and some of the general tumblr tags, and I'm interested in sigils. I was wondering if you could give me some tips on sigils or just witch stuff in general?

Hey there!

I’d say skepticism in witchcraft is pretty common, yes, especially when you start. I was at first, too. But once I started seeing my magic in action, getting the results I wanted, and feeling myself becoming, well, magical, the skepticism started going away. Of course, some days are still hard, I start doubting myself again, but being able to see the successes, and even just enjoying what i’m doing completely, really helps make it easier to deal with.

You definitely came to the right person for sigils though! :D

I do already have a [Sigil FAQ] post over on my sideblog @sigiliuvenum that you should check out, if you haven’t already.

Besides that, here are some tips!

▶ Try to be as specific in your intent as you can be. I say this because magic will take any path it can to bring your desires to you, and not all of them are, well, desirable. Say, for instance, you wanted to do a spell for money, and you weren’t so clear about how you got it. Within a couple of weeks, there ends up being an accident, which results in you getting monetary compensation for damages. You still got money, but maybe not from the best of sources. Or, I did a sigil to help me get out of work early - I got let out three minutes before my scheduled shift end. It technically still counts as early, right?

▷ Allow some time for the sigils to work. They are easy and simple magic, yes, but it may still take some time for it ti manifest in your life. In some cases, a sigil may harbor results immediately, but that is not always the case with every sigil you use. Don’t be disheartened if you get immediate results with one sigil, but it takes some time for the next. I believe that certain intents that have more “impact” take longer to mainfest, but that is just my views.

▶ Try not to get too discouraged if a particular design is taking a while. I once had to draw over thirty sigils for one intent before I finally found a design that I liked. It can take some time, but the more you practice and work with sigils, the easier it gets.

▷ If you are just starting working with sigils, I really recommend that you do write down your statement of intent and go from there. I know it is possible to create sigils without it, but it helps keep the intent in your mind as you are working, provides a focus, and breaking down the statement to make the sigil from really helps imbue the design with your intent if you’re not sure how else to do it.

▶ If you find you are having troubles drawing a specific sigil, try changing the wording for the statement of intent.

▷ Other methods that you can try if a sigil is being particularly stubborn - try an alternative creation method; translate the sentence into another language; use another alphabet besides the one you are using.

▶ Honestly, even if your sigil creation method works great for you, try using some other ones. It’s fun, and gives you a chance to really explore your style and push the boundaries of your sigils. After all, chaos magic is all about experimentation and trying new things. It certainly can’t hurt, anyway, lol.

▷ Add whatever you feel is necessary to your sigil for it to be complete, or remove whatever you feel you don’t need. By this I mean - having trouble working in that W? Don’t add it! Need something to balance it out? Try drawing extra dots, circles, or lines! I use dots as a way to add balance to some of my work. Do whatever you feel the sigil needs to finish its design.

▶ Also, if you’re having difficulty creating sigils with whole letters, try breaking them down into their basic shapes! An A would be / - \, G comes out to be ( -, etc. I honestly prefer doing this, because the sigils end up looking more abstract and arcane, and less like letters thrown together, and that fits my aesthetic.

▷ Seriously, warp your pieces however you need to in order to make your sigil.

▶ I have found that liking how the sigil looks can help increase its power for you, much like with tarot decks. It adds another connector between you and the sigil, and it is known that personal connections can make all the difference in magic.

▷ It also does take some time to build up a “style” with sigils. Looking back on my first year of sigil working, I don’t like any of the designs anymore. And i think that’s okay. As we grow as magic workers, our wants and likes will change for what we are donig, and that is cool. But really, it does take some time to establish a stile of sigil work that you like. Drawing a lot of sigils can help round out your style, but it’s also important not to burn yourself out too!

▶ On that note, it has been known to happen that one may get tired after drawing a number of sigils in one day. I was once at a point where I could do 16 sigils in a day, and not feel a single ounce of drain; now, I’m lucky if I can get three done. The point is, you may feel drain, you may not, but if you do, it is important to make sure you get some rest - grab yourself a snack and something to drink, get comfy, and do something that makes you happy to recharge.

▷ While creating a sigil does put energy into it, a sigil should still be charged additionally once it is finished - if only to make sure there is enough energy in it to act out its purpose.

▶ On the topic of charging, I have found that matching the charging method to the intent has proven great for potent energies. By this I mean, use a fire charging method for a sigil that is for energy or creativity; water is great for emotions of all kind. Of course, whatever you feel is best or will work best for you is the most important thing.

Alright, that’s what I can think of right now! If you want any info on creation or charging methods, I have a huge list of those, and other general sigil information, in the [Sigil Magic Resources] list over at @sigiliuvenum. You don’t have to read or try them all, of course, but it is handy info to know - just read through a few, look for something you like, and go!

I hope that helps you anon, best of luck!

#witchcraft #witchblr #sigils #sigil magic #sigil magick #sigil 101 #sigil tips #long post

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hiroki-moriuchi · 7 years ago

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2017′s best releases that you’ve missed

2017 was an interesting year in music. By that I mean that I went to a Breaking Benjamin concert, where someone asked me “Hey, do you play RS?” and since then I’ve been worried about how in the world a random guy could recognize me as a Runescape player, and how I can annihilate this part of me that shows this.

As for music releases, 2017 sucked. I know that’s not what I’m supposed to say at the beginning of a list of the best albums of 2017, but I can’t lie. There were few good albums in 2017. Thankfully, they were not entirely non-existent. I tried picking out the few good releases of this year, and here they are!

Artist: Moonfall EP: Empty Cage Genre: Alternative rock Rating: 7.5/10

NY-based alternative rock band Moonfall are back with another EP! With their first EP being a mostly progressive experimental piece, the band then experimented with other styles for 2 singles, and now they’re back with a new EP that seems to be more electronic than their previous works. A risky choice, because there have been many bands who incorporate electronic sounds into their music. What can make Moonfall any different?

The answer is: their different musical influences. The track Colorless being inspired by EDM, while title track Empty Cage seems to be more influenced an indie sound. And, not to forget, the clear J-rock influences in the bass playing: where other bands often ‘forget’ about the bass, Moonfall incorporates the bass guitar as a full part of the music, not just as something that has to be added “because that’s just how rock works”.

Listen on Youtube: Empty Cage Buy: Official site

Artist: While She Sleeps Album: You Are We Genre: Metalcore Rating: 8/10

Maybe you know this about me already, but I’m a sucker for balance in music (with some exceptions, like Crystal Lake’s Machina). As a result, this album is a real treat for me. While being generally heavy - what else to expect from metalcore? - the stunning clean vocals and catchy choruses or cool verses bring moments of relative rest, before you launch into a heavier part again. Also, it’s great music for moshing, as I discovered at their concert. If you have the chance to see them, grab it.

Listen on Youtube: Steal the Sun Buy: iTunes Nuclearblast.de Stream: Various options

Artist: The Last Sighs Of The Wind Album: We Are Trees Genre: Instrumental rock Rating: 7.5/10

Okay, so I have a confession to make. I’ve always been an emotional boy, but this year something special happened. For the first time in my life, I cried about instrumental music. And the people who made it happen are the people in The Last Sighs Of The Wind, with their song Your Wave Caresses Me. This band knows how to catch your attention with emotion-driven songs, and they don’t need vocals for that. This band is especially recommended to people who like post-rock - this band is clearly influenced by that genre - but I’d recommend it to anyone who can stand rock.

Listen on Bandcamp: Your Wave Caresses Me Buy: Bandcamp ($4)

Artist: Blank Slate EP: I Have Considered The Following Genre: Progressive rock Rating: 8/10

This EP is an experience. It’s some chilled out progressive rock, but what really puts this band apart from other bands is the vocalist. I must admit: at first, I felt like she was the ‘weak link’ in the band, and that she had some practicing to do. I felt that she didn’t have enough power in her voice. But as I listened more and more, I grew to like her soft singing. It’s quite unique; it’s not overbearing, it’s just a part of the instrumentation. Her voice gently carries you through the EP. As for the rest of the instruments: they work together very well to bring intricately woven, but not overly complicated songs. I’d say: take a listen.

Listen on Bandcamp: Tangency Buy: Bandcamp ($5)

Artist: Crystal Lake Single: Apollo Genre: Metalcore Rating: 8.5/10

I’d say that, in metalcore, there’s different levels of heaviness. From heavy to heavier: something can be “heavy”, “really heavy”, “holy shit”, “what the FUCK”, or it can be plain irresponsible. The song Machina falls in the last category, and is the reason this single made the list. While the other two songs are great as well, I feel Machina is a must in your music library.

Listen on Youtube: Machina Buy: iTunes ($2.58), CDJapan (¥2100)

Artist: Julien Baker Album: Turn Out The Lights Genre: Indie Rating: 9/10

We Are Trees is not the only album that made me cry this year. Julien Baker also managed to do it with the first song I heard by her, Appointments. Her open-heartedness shines through in her music. Which, with her apparently sad heart, makes for some really sad music. Her soft music is genuine, filled to the brim with emotions. Her at times powerful voice conveys the emotions in this album well. And, fun fact, this album was recommended to me by many different people that I met in a Facebook group for a metalcore band. I just mean to say: this album is to be enjoyed by anyone. You wouldn’t normally say a piano and soft guitar-driven album would be well-liked by metalheads, but Julien Baker is talented enough to turn the tides in her favor.

Listen on Youtube: Appointments Buy: Matador ($8)

Artist: I, The Mighty Album: Where The Mind Wants To Go / Where You Let It Go Genre: Alternative rock Rating: 8/10

I’ll be honest: this album is disappointing for one very specific reason: the album starts with Degenerates, which is a song that is, without a doubt, worth a rating of 10/10. Every song after that can only be a disappointment relative to Degenerates. That being said, the other songs are certainly good too. I feel like I have to write more stuff about this album but genuinely, I don’t even know why I’m typing up a short review for each album when I don’t enjoy typing it. Just get this: this album is about as heavy as most of the songs on Linkin Park’s Minutes to Midnight, so if you like that, you’ll like this.

Listen on Youtube: Degenerates Buy: iTunes

Artist: MY FIRST STORY EP: ALL SECRET TRACKS Genre: J-rock Rating: 9/10

What a surprise. On December 12, Japanese news sites suddenly announced a new MY FIRST STORY EP, for sale on December 13. A nice surprise no one saw coming, considering that the band had released another EP (ALL LEAD TRACKS) just a few months before. So, for such a ‘secret’ release that didn’t have much of an advertising campaign going for it, I expected it to be less good than their previous EP, ALL LEAD TRACKS, which was advertised a lot. How wrong I was! With ALL SECRET TRACKS, MY FIRST STORY delivered a musically diverse, yet cohesive EP. The opening track The Anthem, though in my opinion a bit too similar to a previous opening track, Weapons, offers a good introduction to the album. Then it goes on with violin-driven 終焉レクイエム. Then, MONSTER offers us a powerful, heavy track. It is driven mostly by rap, but it is Hiro’s screaming that makes this track stand out. Next, we calm down a little with 君のいない夜を越えて, and later even more with the acoustic track See You Again. The closing track Love Affair is a bit more upbeat again, and ties the album up well.

This EP is MY FIRST STORY playing around with things they haven’t played around with before, and it works very well. It is very good, but I don’t think this is MY FIRST STORY at their best yet. I look forward to what they will release in the future.

Listen on Youtube: MONSTER Buy: CDJapan (¥1800)

And the best album of the year is...

Artist: Sufferer Album: Sufferer Genre: Post-hardcore Rating: 9.3/10

Sufferer is an ambitious project. On their bandcamp page, they say that they are “detailing a day in the life of a Sufferer, with three vocalists portraying the Subject, his Anxiety, and his Depression.” If you ask me, they succeeded flawlessly in their portrayal of what it’s like - both lyrically and musically. Lyrically, they don’t fall into self-pity the way many other song writers do. Rather, they show awareness of the self-pity, and how they think they make their own bed, but still cannot get out. This album is in a sense isolated from the world. It’s got a kind of madness that I can relate to, while, looking at it from the outside, you wonder what in the world is going on inside a mind such as the one portrayed. The desperation of the Subject also speaks from the music arrangements. The music is chaotic, nervous. Even with all the lyrics left out, the music does a good job of depicting the mind of the Subject. In short: Just listen to it. Though a short warning in advance: the album may not be suitable for everyone. It may get you down, or the subject matter (suicide, alcohol abuse, among other things) may be triggering.

Listen on Bandcamp: Chapter III Buy: Bandcamp ($10)

Honorable mentions

He Is Legend - few (Hard rock, rock n roll): Great album, drenched in loneliness. If you listen to this in mid-summer you’ll probably still be cold. How can an album have these kind of vibes?! Taiga Woods - Taiga Woods (Stoner rock): Some really good stoner rock. It’s got a fair replay value, but not an unlimited replay value. By the time I made this post I didn’t love the album as much as I did before. Movements - Feel Something (Alternative rock): A GREAT album but also really sad. KILL LE KILL - Cabin in the Woods session (Acoustic pop-punk): When you listen to this, it feels like you’re in a cabin in the woods and one guy whips out his guitar and starts to sing. It doesn’t matter that he’s bad at it because you’re in the woods anyway and it’s not about the music, it’s about the experience. But he’s still not good at it. Also, here’s a free, legal download link. Entheos - Dark Future (Death metal): Extremely good prog death metal, but I figured it didn’t fit this blog. Turn For Our - Silence in face of Injustice is a crime (Hardcore punk): I’m a sucker for hardcore punk. gotta love it. S’efforcer - Survive}•{Discover (Experimental metal): This album puts me at ease for some reason, despite it being quite heavy at times. This album would have made the list had I discovered it not on December 30th.

#my first story #sufferer #i the mighty #while she sleeps #julien baker #moonfall #crystal lake #blank slate #we are trees #alternative metal #alternative rock #j-rock #metalcore #post-hardcore #i dont think the kill le kill album was a genuine attempt at making a good album

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